A Nanny's Tale
by YarningChick
Summary: Wanted; a competent housekeeper and nanny for the three motherless children of the Baron von Gikkingen. Must be good at cooking vegetarian meals, cleaning the manor, and telling stories to the children. ONLY PLAIN GIRLS NEED APPLY!
1. The Beginning

This story is based on Count Gatto, an Italian fairy tale that sort of captured my attention and imagination. But don't be surprised if it reminds you of Sound of Music.

Dedicated to all those who have ever received, or longed for, a second chance at love.

**Chapter One: The Beginning**

Once, a long time ago, a fierce battle raged between the Cat Kingdom and the Human Kingdom of Ulam. No one could remember the reason for the feud, but what would always be remembered, was the one who ended it.

The great Baron Harold von Gikkingen, to say the least, was a most extraordinary man. He was an excellent magician and politician, somehow able to find just the correct way to bring the feuding monarchs to a peace treaty that took a year to hammer out, and then sign.

Even with the treaty, the good Baron was obligated to build a home right on the borderline between the two kingdoms, to better keep an eye on things and potential break-outs between the worlds. But the thick magic of the borderline marked him gravely as the years past, changing his body into something between that of a human and that of a cat. He still walked on his hind legs and dressed like a man, but his body was covered with thick fur, and many humans found his tail to be more than a little distracting.

Only his wife seemed indifferent to the Baron's appearance, loving him without end, even as her own body changed to resemble his.

The love they shared resulted an heir, a boy named Humbert, whose body was every bit as peculiar as his parents'. He was taught at the finest universities on both sides of the boundary, and showed potential to surpass even his father in all fields.

After his father died, Humbert took not only the name of 'Baron', since his duty as a keeper of the peace left no room for personal glory, but also a cat maiden for his bride, whose fur was as white as newly fallen snow.

Baron loved his Louise dearly, even as her body shifted to resemble his, thanks to her time in the borderland.

Time passed, and Louise shyly informed her devoted husband of the eminent arrival of their first litter…

ooOoo

Baron paced back and forth along the long corridor impatiently, frequently glancing at the large double doors that led to his bedroom; his sharp ears clearly hearing the women moving around inside, trying to ease the delivery.

The orange and cream cat groaned in anxiety, collapsing in the chair that he had placed in the hallway the night before. His heart pounded in excitement, and fear. He had been calmly preparing for this day, ever since Louise had told him she was pregnant, and yet, all of his preparations seemed to fall away as his mind dissolved into chaos. Baron stood up, finding the chair to be a little too stiff for his liking, and started pacing again as his breath came in increasingly shorter spurts.

What he would give, if he could just know how things were progressing…

The sound of the doorknob clicking as it suddenly turned was deafening in the otherwise silent manor. Baron looked at the door with expectation as it slowly opened to reveal his beloved mother.

"You'd better come in, dear," she whispered softly. Worried by her tone, he quickly but silently slipped through the opening.

His wife looked more beautiful than ever, though tired and shaky underneath her snowy fur. In her arms, she was holding two beautiful kittens. She beamed at him as he sat at her side to kiss her brow and look at his offspring.

Louise shifted the golden kitten in her right arm.

"This one is our eldest, a daughter," she whispered. "Lillian, perhaps?"

Baron nodded, kissing his sleeping firstborn tenderly.

"Lillian it is." Lovingly, he stroked the head of the second kitten, which sported white and orange stripes, resembling that of a tiger. "And this one?"

"A son," she said breathlessly, nodding her head in acknowledgement. The elder orange and cream cat thought carefully. He had never been fond of his given name, nor had his father been of his…

"Thomas," he said with a note of finality. Louise smiled lovingly at him as the midwife appeared before the Baron; another bundle of blankets in her arms, which she held out to the young father.

"Your youngest daughter," the human said solemnly as the Baron took the child, and nuzzled her face lovingly, making her coo at him. The little kitten's fur was just as pale as her beautiful mother.

"Eleanor?" he asked his wife, who smiled lovingly at him again.

"Perfect," the baroness sighed. "My love, there's something you should know."

He leaned in close, and kissed her pale lips.

"What is it?" he asked softly as a few tears squeezed past his wife's guard.

"I'm dying," she whispered. "It was a bit too much for me. At least you'll have our children-"

"Nonsense," he said firmly, kissing her brow. "A few days rest and you'll be as good as new."

"I'm afraid not, sir," the midwife said gravely, as she started packing up her equipment. "I've had years of experience, and I'm afraid that there's nothing that can be done for your wife."

"Nons-" Baron started to say, before his mother reached over and covered his mouth.

"Just listen to what Louise has to say while you still have the chance," she urged him firmly.

Sighing, the young lord decided to pacify everyone.

"Go ahead, Louise. I won't interrupt."

Her sparkling blue eyes saddened, knowing his thoughts.

"Baron… it's been the greatest honor of my life to be your wife, and to carry your children. But I'm afraid that the task of raising them won't be mine."

"I have Mother," he pointed out softly, making her laugh.

"But we both know her health isn't the best. She may join me in death before too much longer. Love, after I die, I want you to get married again."

"What?!" he asked incredulously, making her wince slightly.

"Honey, kittens need a mother, and I want ours to have one, even if it isn't me. Promise me you'll marry again?"

Baron bit his lip nervously. Who could possibly hope to take over his wife's place in their children's lives, let alone his own? That is, _if _she really was dying. Well, if it would put her mind at peace…

"If a woman appears that is worthy of the position, then I won't let her get away," he promised. Louise beamed at him as tears of gratitude fell from her eyes, and she leaned back in her pillows.

"She'll be worthy. I'll see to it _personally_. I love you, Baron Humbert von Gikkingen."

"And I you, Baroness Louise von Gikkingen," he said, stealing one more kiss from her cold lips.

Even as he kissed her for the last time, he could feel her breath stop, and see those beautiful blue eyes glaze over in death.

"Darling?" he whispered as a cold fear gripped his heart. His mother walked to the opposite side of the bed, and took the two kittens from their mother's limp arms.

"Did you really think I'd joke about death?" the old baroness asked quietly, as tears of realization began running down her son's face.

Baron wept with a broken heart as his newborn children did the same.


	2. The Need

**Chapter Two: The Need**

Ten years later, the von Gikkingen family was attending another funeral; this being the one of the beloved grandmother.

Little Elly sniffed miserably, making her father search his pockets for another handkerchief. He never seemed to have quite enough to accommodate all the noses in the family.

He needed another hand, too, Baron decided as the coffin was solemnly lowered into the ground. Having three kittens and two hands seemed to cause more strife than he thought the occasion was worth. "Thomas, switch off," he whispered, making his striped son grimace slightly, but relinquish his father's hand all the same to his older sister, who clung to the hand as they accepted condolences from friends and acquaintances alike.

Even Prince Lune and Prince Edward came, although the human prince had a little trouble bending over to gravely shake hands, since the von Gikkingens were inescapably at feline height, since the charms that altered them to a human height weren't necessary right now.

"If my mother's cold had cleared up this morning, she would have come," Prince Edward offered sadly. "As things were, Father had to tie her to the bed to keep her down."

Baron chuckled, remembering that the queen and his mother had been close friends for years. "Tell her I appreciate her concern, Highness."

The dark prince nodded then bowed once to his feline counterpart, before returning to his carriage.

Prince Lune also clasped hands with his old friend. "I'd say something about _my_ father, but it would ruin the moment. Just be sure to send word if you need anything, Baron."

"I'll be sure to, Highness. Thank you, for everything."

Lune nodded gravely, as his mismatched eyes briefly flicked over Baron's shoulder, making him chuckle darkly. "Better start running, Baron. _She's_ coming this way."

The orange and cream tomcat stiffened, tightening his grip on Elly's hand slightly. "Thanks for the warning. Farewell, Lune."

The regal grey shorthair nodded once, and walked back to the royal rickshaw.

"Oh, _Baron_! It's absolutely dreadful, about your poor mother!"

The feline lord carefully fixed a polite smile on his face before turning to the speaker, who had been approaching him from behind.

She was lovely, Baron had to admit. Her fur was a rich red color, reminiscent of autumn leaves, and the black dress she was in fit her like a second coat of fur. She absently twirled a black parasol with her delicate paws over one shoulder as she artfully put on a face of compassion for the handsome lord's three children.

Unfortunately for her, Baron could read her like a book, and had done so since they had met, long before he had met Louise.

"For you three to be left so young without female guidance, it's such a shame. Well, if any of you need anything at all, you come to me, all right?"

"Yes, ma'am," the kittens said in unison, almost in monotone.

The red she-cat turned her huge black eyes up to their father, and batted them flirtatiously. "That goes double for you, Baron," she murmured softly.

He smiled stiffly, and released Elly's hand long enough to tip his hat in acknowledgement, and in farewell. "I'll be sure to do that, Sai," he said, almost through grated teeth. Immediately, he turned his children around, and headed from the family graveyard toward their modest manor house.

"Why are you always so nice to her, Father?" Thomas hissed as his fur stood on end underneath his black suit. Baron sighed, and gripped his son's gloved hand a little tighter.

"One thing you'll need to learn sooner or later, Thomas, is that just because you despise someone, doesn't mean that you can't treat them with courtesy. Believe me; it's easier to deal with undesirables when you refuse to stoop to their level."

"I don't like her," Elly announced firmly. "She makes my fur crawl."

Baron chuckled a bit, leaning down enough to pick her up, still being the smallest kitten of the litter. "To be perfectly honest, sweetheart, Sai makes _my _fur crawl too."

His eldest daughter tugged on one of his coat tails as he opened the side door to the family manor. "Father? What will we do without Grandmother?" Lily asked as she walked over to the tea cabinet, standing on her tiptoes to take two teacups as her brother did the same.

Baron sighed once more, setting his youngest down in order to pour the tea that had been warming throughout the funeral. "It will be difficult, I'll admit, but I think we can manage. You three are in school now. That should take care of you during most of the day." He poured the tea, and carefully monitored how much sugar and milk they individually mixed in as he placed precisely three drops of milk in his own tea. "I'll admit, evenings will be a bit more difficult, especially when I get called away for an assignment."

Not to mention the fact that his children were just learning to cook and clean, under the careful tutelage of their doting grandmother, and Baron wasn't confident enough of their abilities to leave them unattended in the kitchen, or even the house.

He shuddered, not liking his options.

Around a sip of tea, Lily spoke up. "What about a nanny, Father?"

Baron looked sharply at his eldest daughter, who already seemed so much wiser than her ten years of experience.

"I know you don't like the idea of servants, especially considering the borderland hazards, but what choice do we have?" she pressed. "Especially with villains like Renaldo Moon on the loose?"

Baron shuddered, remembering that terrible incident. He took another sip of tea, pondering his options. "All right. I'll phone the newspapers on both sides of the boundary. There's bound to be someone suitable."

"Can you make sure she can tell stories?" Elly piped up, her green eyes twinkling happily. "I miss stories."

Baron laughed, and kissed her forehead. "Of course. Any other requests, as long as we're discussing it?"

"Make sure that she can cook vegetarian meals," Lily pressed. "All this fish gets tiresome after a while, and it will be several more generations before someone in this family willingly eats a mouse."

Baron laughed, agreeing completely. Not even their mother had enjoyed eating mice, and she had been _born_ a full-blood cat. "What about you, Thomas? Surely you have a request as well."

Thomas shrugged, tracing the teacup's edge with one finger. "Cleans well?" he suggested as his sisters laughed.

"That's part of the definition of housekeeper, silly!" Lily giggled as their father memorized the requests. He'd call the newspapers after the family finished their tea.

"Just to make sure you're aware, Thomas, just because I'll be paying her to keep the house clean doesn't mean that you'll be getting off scot-free. I'll make a point of talking to her about distribution of chores."

Thomas shrugged a bit, and sipped his tea. "Oh, well, it was worth a shot."


	3. The Despair

**Chapter Three: The Despair**

Baron looked over the latest girl's resume, studying her out of the corner of his eye.

She was beautiful, perhaps a little too much so, to be applying for a housekeeper's job. She kept playing with her long golden locks between her long and graceful fingers, her gaze far and distant.

She didn't even look like she was really interested in the job.

Baron took a deep breath to keep his temper under control, and smiled politely while placing the resume down. "Would you kindly tell me why you're applying for this job, Miss Jani?"

Her lavender eyes flicked to him, a trace of irritation evident. "Because you're offering it," she said, like the answer should have been obvious.

He tapped his thumb twice in irritation. "Surely there are other jobs in town, why did you choose to pursue this one?"

"Because you haven't said "no" yet."

He fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Have you had problems with other employers?"

"What, never!" she said, outraged. "Who have you been talking to?!"

Yep, that should be everything he needed to know.

Baron smiled again, although the action was forced, and stood up from behind his desk. "With all due respect, Miss Jani, I don't think you're particularly suited to the job I'm offering, although I thank you for your time."

She turned a beet red and humphed angrily while throwing her bag over one shoulder, and storming out of the office.

As soon as she was gone, Baron sank back into his desk, holding one hand over his eyes wearily.

"Where do all these hopeless girls keep coming from?" he groaned in frustration, crossing yet another name from the list of candidates. Before the interviews, there had been more than fifty girls, but the ones that weren't as lazy as a sloth, were the ones hitting on him terribly enough that he ended up ordering them from his house. Jani had been only the twelfth human to interview, so the thought of working for the von Gikkingens was obviously more appealing to cats.

Elly walked in with a teacup, concern evident on her features as she walked around the desk, and offered the cup with both hands. "She was angry," the white kitten commented as her father hungrily consumed the hot beverage, and then set the teacup aside so that he could pull her on his lap and hug her.

"Not as much as I was. Honestly, all I'm asking for is a decent housekeeper."

"Maybe the ad wasn't specific enough," Elly offered, snuggling into her father's arms. Baron thought about that carefully as he kissed her ear.

"Do you think _that's _the problem?" he whispered.

His white daughter shrugged. "Try being more specific, and see what happens."

Baron sighed, and reached over with one hand to the phone. After dialing the correct number, he waited patiently for the other line to pick up.

"Hello, this is the Morning Star. How may I direct your call?"

"To the personal ads, please."

"Just one moment sir."

He waited patiently, tapping his foot with the leg his daughter was sitting on to make her giggle a little as she bounced up and down.

"Hello, this is the Personal Ads Department."

"Hello, this is the Baron von Gikkingen."

"Wow, it's only been a week. Do you want me to take your ad off?"

"No, but I do want to add a few things."

"It'll cost more," the woman warned him.

"Then it better be worth the extra cost. Can you add the word 'competent' in front of 'housekeeper and nanny'?"

"Sure. Bad luck?" the woman asked as the scratching of a pen drifted to the feline lord's ear.

"You wouldn't believe the hopeless cases I've seen. Also, could you add 'only plain girls need apply'?"

"_That _bad?" the woman asked, astonished. Baron fought his urge to growl as his anger renewed itself.

"Worse, actually. Would you mind emphasizing that last line?"

"Consider it done, my lord. Good luck."

ooOoo

All things considered, Baron wasn't very surprised that girls had stopped lining up at his door. He couldn't decide which was more depressing; a hoard of hopeless girls, or a void of competent ones.

A polite tapping came at his window, shaking him from his subtle depression. He looked over, and managed to smile while rising from his desk.

He grunted slightly while opening the window to poke his head out. "Did you enjoy your winter vacation, Toto?"

The large black crow smiled mischievously as he sat down on a tree branch that was conveniently next to the window. "It was satisfactory. I heard about your mother; how are you holding up?"

Baron put his hands on his head in frustration. "The grief would be a little easier to bear if I could just get my hands on a decent housekeeper! Both monarchs have understood my familial restraints of late, but I can't keep this up forever. I _need _someone that can be home when my children are."

Toto chuckled a bit, and held his wings defensively. "You'd know I'd offer, if it weren't for the fact that I can't cook, enter your house, clean a single dish…"

Baron looked up at his old friend, and smiled warmly. "The thought alone helps, Toto. I just feel so frustrated."

"That's to be expected, Baron. Any single parent would be overwhelmed."

"Daddy!" Elly ran into the office. Baron looked over his shoulder as she came up to the window to see what he was looking at. "Oh, hi Toto!"

"Hi, Elly," he answered, grinning slightly as she waved at him.

"Daddy, Lily says that we need to go to the market. We're out of milk, and a few other things that we need for dinner, too."

Baron sighed, and tipped his hat at Toto. "Duty calls."

"I understand. Oh, I just remembered. On my way back, I saw a human peddler come into town with a cart of fresh rhubarb. I thought you'd like to know."

"Rhubarb?" Elly asked hopefully, licking her lips in anticipation.

Baron laughed, and picked up his little girl to walk out the door. "Thanks for the tip, Toto. Rhubarb pie sounds really good right now."

ooOoo

Baron checked over the basket his two older children were carrying, his expression grim. "Now I know I'm forgetting something," he murmured.

Elly pulled at his coattails again. "Rhubarb?" she asked hopefully.

He laughed and rubbed her head. "Besides that, Elly. Come now," he whispered to himself angrily. What was it that was escaping him? He raised one hand to his chin, pondering carefully.

The little white kitten shifted from one foot to the other nervously, casting glances at the rhubarb cart. She _really _wanted some of that rhubarb, and it was selling fast. Biting her lip nervously, she started walking toward the rhubarb cart, hoping that the man selling it would let her reserve some for her father, when he was done thinking.

"Elly, you get back-watch out!" Lily shrieked as the whinny of a horse suddenly met the white kitten's ears.

She had just enough time to see a horse stampeding toward her, his red eyes filled with madness as his hooves came in too fast for her to dodge, or even scream in terror.

Without warning, Elly was swept off her feet, and into a pair of large warm arms. The world seemed to spin around, as the horse and ground twirled around, and the small kitten could have sworn that she and the strange person were flying through the air.

The strange moment ended, as a crashing sound was heard, and the ride came to a complete and sudden stop.


	4. The Rescuer

**Chapter Four: The Rescuer**

Elly yelped a bit as she and the owner of the arms collided with the ground, and became covered with stalks of fresh rhubarb. The arms loosened considerably, but the owner didn't make a sound.

"No!" a man howled. "My cart!"

The white kitten opened her eyes again, to see her father and siblings running toward her, as well as a young human.

"Elly!" Baron shouted even as the pursuing human also called out to his loved one.

"Haru!"

"My cart," the man moaned as the boy kneeled next to the comatose woman, who was steadily gaining a large bump on her head.

The young human groaned as he eased her head into his lap, and tried to wake her up. "Haru? Haru?! You promised you'd stop doing this kind of thing!"

The woman's hold on the kitten-child had loosened considerably enough so that Baron could lift his child out of it and hold her close as tears threatened to surface.

"Don't… you _ever _leave my side in the marketplace again!" he ordered as he kissed her lovingly, almost possessively. Elly looked over her shoulder to see who had rescued her from danger.

It was a human girl, dressed in a simple but clean brown dress. Her long hair was about the same shade and was pulled away from her face in a high ponytail, and she was almost frighteningly thin. She was young, but it was hard to tell precisely how old the girl was, since most of her face was covered by an extremely thick pair of glasses.

Elly couldn't even tell if her eyes were open or not.

The boy that kept shaking her shoulders, maybe thirteen years of age, had to be a close relative, since he was dressed in the same simple yet serviceable clothes, and had the same feather-like hair. "Please wake up!" he begged as the peddler walked around the destroyed cart.

"Who's going to pay for this?!" he demanded. "I have children to feed."

"I will," Baron said firmly, standing up a bit. "It's a fair exchange for my daughter's life."

The peddler looked down, obviously not noticing the lord before know. His eyes widened, and his hands started shaking slightly. "That is most gracious of you, Lord Gikkingen," he stammered fearfully, and bowed respectfully.

Baron waved one hand dismissively. "I was planning on buying a few stalks from you anyway. Elly, although I share your passion for rhubarb, I would still appreciate it if you would stay close while we're in the marketplace from now on. This young lady took quite a beating on your behalf."

The white kitten started crying and nodding her head as she looked at her rescuer. "Is she okay?" Elly asked fearfully, as the human boy took a handkerchief to her forehead.

He chuckled darkly. "She should be fine. She's had bigger bumps than this one, and my sister thinks that she's indestructible…" he suddenly trailed off. His huge black eyes looked down at the tawny lord with absolute astonishment.

Baron placed him and the girl to be of Yrathean origin, and knew that cats usually refrained from speaking to humans in that kingdom. He smiled apologetically and bowed low. "I apologize for the inconvenience your sister has been put through, young man, but I must admit that I'm most grateful for her intervention on my daughter's behalf. If there's anything you two would wish of me when she wakes up, please feel free to ask for it."

The boy kept staring at him, but took a breath. "Are you _really_ the Baron von Gikkingen?"

The orange and cream cat nodded, making the boy's eyes grow wild.

"Oh boy…" he muttered before shaking his sister's shoulders insistently. "Haru, _please_ wake up!"

"I've got a bit of water," the peddler said helpfully, uncorking his water skin before handing it to the boy, who nodded gratefully before holding one end of it over his sister's head.

ooOoo

Cold water suddenly caressed her face, making Haru violently snap into consciousness. "The cat! Did I get the cat?!" she asked in a panic, looking around as she sat up from her little brother's lap.

"Yes. Thank you for saving me, Miss Haru."

She looked down, seeing a white kitten all but snuggle in the newly made lap. But, it was dressed like a human girl, and even had hands and feet! She hadn't noticed those details before.

"I'm very sorry for making you get hurt for me, and I promise not to go into the street alone again," she added, her beautiful green eyes still bearing fresh tears.

Hesitantly, the slim brunette scratched one of the kitten's well-formed ears with one finger, wondering if she had hit her head a little too hard. And her back didn't feel so good, either. "Well, you're safe, and that's what's important," she said after a moment's thought.

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Miss Haru."

The human girl's eyes flickered just beyond her lap, and stared shamelessly.

There was an orange and cream cat in front of her, but he had the same physical peculiarities that the kitten on her lap had. He had two other kittens with him, also dressed in the aristocratic style of this kingdom. He also had the same glowing green eyes as the white kitten on her lap.

He took off the tall silk hat, a grey matching his suit, and held it to his heart in salute to her, in the manner of a true gentleman. "I humbly thank you from the bottom of my heart for rescuing my daughter, Miss Haru."

Her manners sharply brought back into focus, the slim girl bowed low from her sitting position, in the style of her native kingdom. "No problem, sir," she said, barely able to keep from screaming, thanks to the renewed pain all over her back and head. She snuck a glance behind her to see a rather impressive caved-in side of the rhubarb cart that had caught her eye, more than likely what had stopped her impressive jump from the horse's path. The brunette grimaced behind her glasses, and looked up at the peddler, who was corking the water skin that her brother had passed to him.

"I can work off the damage to your cart," she offered in an apologetic manner.

He laughed good-naturedly, and pointed to the feline gentleman in front of her. "The good Baron's already taking care of it, Miss, but thank you."

Her heart froze as her head snapped back to the strange feline, and to his two children, which were staring at her from behind their father.

He smiled warmly at her as he placed the top hat back between his large ears. "If there's anything at all I can do for you, please let me know," he urged her, his mint-green eyes glowing with gratitude. Haru bit her lip nervously, wondering…

"He's the Baron von Gikkingen!" Hashi whispered excitedly into her ear. "Go ahead and ask him!"

The aristocratic feline cocked his head a bit, hearing the soft words. "Ask me what?" he asked politely.

Haru took a deep breath, and bowed low one more time as she unconsciously kept rubbing the white kitten's fur with one hand, fiercely silencing her aching back and head. "Good Baron, my name's Haru Yoshioka and I'd like to apply for the housekeeping position that you posted in the newspaper."

His eyes widened a bit, and his mouth fell open a little. Haru winced, wondering if he would consider hiring a human. But she needed this job pretty badly, if she and her brother wanted to eat tonight.

The kitten on her lap gasped, and jumped off to pull at one of her father's hands. "Daddy, please hire her," she begged as her two siblings also joined the chorus of "hire her, hire her!", as they also pulled on his hands and arms.

The Baron, however, cast his eyes up to the sky as a wild smile overtook his face. "Thank you," he whispered softly, though not softly enough to escape Haru or Hashi's notice. He suddenly looked at the brave brunette again, and smiled even wider.

"When can you start?"


	5. The Nanny

**Chapter Five: The Nanny**

"Today, if you wish," Haru said, a little disbelieving that he wasn't even asking about her qualifications.

The feline Baron beamed even wider, and pulled his three kittens in front of him. "Then allow me to introduce my children. This is Lillian, my eldest."

The tawny girl curtsied prettily. "I answer to Lily," she said shyly as her father gestured to his tiger-like son.

"Thomas."

He bowed respectfully, with blue eyes that shone every bit as bright as his father's and elder sister's.

"And you've met Eleanor," the Baron said dryly as his tinier daughter also curtsied prettily.

"I like Elly," she said softly, her alabaster cheeks still tinged a slight pink from embarrassment.

Haru looked over the children carefully as she bowed back.

Yes. She should be able to get along just fine with these three. After all, their very meeting was proof enough that she had a soft spot for kittens. "Nice to meet you." Suddenly remembering, the brunette gestured to her shorter companion. "This is my brother, Hashi. Will there be a problem if he-"

"None at all," the feline lord hastily assured her, his smile still dazzling. "There's plenty of room in the manor house for both of you. I'm certain that we can work out the details later, but I believe we've gained everything we need to, and I'm more than certain you want to take a look at the house."

"If it's not too much trouble, sir," Haru answered politely, secretly wondering about the kind of house that the Baron had. Could there truly be room for humans in a cat's home?

"If you please, Miss Haru," the lord said carefully as he passed some gold coins to the peddler, and the human in kind place several stalks of fresh rhubarb within the large basket next to the lord's children. "I prefer to be called Baron."

She shrugged a bit while rising to her feet with Hashi's help. "Whatever you say, Baron."

He smiled a bit more, and gestured for his children to take the basket behind them. "Let's show them the manor, children."

Elly giggled a bit, and began pulling on the hem of Haru's long brown skirt. Carefully, the brunette followed, making sure not to accidentally kick the tiny white kitten as her brother walked at her side, smiling a little triumphantly.

Was kitten the correct term? Oh well.

She smiled a bit, and leaned over enough to gently lift the basket from the two kittens when they were struggling to lift it, once more silencing her own pains from the rescue. "Allow me," she said softly, balancing the basket with one hip. Thomas smiled up at her, and bowed once in gratitude.

Baron watched the exchange from the corner of his eye, already pleased. At least he knew that she wouldn't push everything onto the kittens.

Now for the opposite problem…

ooOoo

Haru listened patiently as Baron explained just what would be expected of her while he and his children led them out of the village, and down a dirt path running through a cattail field. She nodded occasionally, memorizing the information on duties, schedules, and homework that he was giving her.

"But wouldn't that change my brother and I into partial cats as well?" she asked when he explained the borderland hazards.

"As long as you take frequent trips to the Human Side, there shouldn't be a problem," Baron assured her as the lovely manor house started coming into view. "It's required of me and my children to spend a significant amount of time on both sides of the border, but there is no need for both of you to physically change if you don't wish to. Speaking of which, I feel that I must warn you to change your grip on that basket," he said rather sharply, as twin pillars came into view, just in front of the house.

Elly pulled a bit sharply on Haru's skirt again, but this time to keep her from marching forward. "After you and Hashi walk between those pillars, you'll shrink," she informed her new nanny.

Haru bit her lip nervously, and set the basket on the soft grass, though it was quickly picked up by the two older kittens, looking a bit anxious. The slim brunette snuck a glance behind her glasses at her brother, who looked a bit grim, as usual.

She sighed, knowing how much he wanted her to get this job. But that didn't stop him from grabbing her hand as they walked between the pillars together.

On the bright side, the bubbling feeling that began at her very core and frothed over until it filled her body distracted her pretty well from the throbbing pain in her back. She and her brother watched with amazement as the world around them seemed to grow, and the tall cattail grass grow alarmingly tall, almost reaching out to the sun.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the feeling vanished. Haru and Hashi looked at each other, not seeing much of a difference in themselves. They looked over at the now-impressively sized manor house in unison, breathing the same sigh of relief.

Hashi had been all but certain that they were going to have to sleep outside on the grass.

Without warning, Elly jumped on Haru again, but now she was easily as tall as the human girl's waist, a fact that caught the bespectacled brunette off-guard.

"Come on, let us show you around!" the white kitten said excitedly as her tawny sister tried to pry her off of their new nanny.

"Let her adjust a bit," Lily scolded as her father and brother manned the large basket, still strangely the same size that it had been in the market place.

"I-I'm good, Lily," Haru said cautiously, holding out one arm to see if the older sibling would come closer for a hug. Lily stiffened, and one of her golden ears flicked nervously. Slowly, she took a step closer, but then chose to turn and help her brother and father with the groceries.

The bespectacled brunette sighed a bit, adjusted the bag on her shoulder, and also walked forward to help bring in the groceries.

There would be time enough to earn all of the kittens' trust.

A cawing sound came from overhead, making Hashi cry out in surprise and cling to his sister. Haru wrapped one arm around her smaller brother, and also looked up. A small gasp escaped her throat.

Crows by themselves were ordinary enough, but they tended to attract attention when they're significantly bigger than you. The large bird helped remind the human girl of her new, and possibly vulnerable, height.

The crow landed on the soft earth next to the tawny baron, although he was looking at the two humans with undisguised interest. "Looks like that shopping trip was a bit more profitable than you were hoping for, Baron."

The tallest half-cat chuckled as he and his son set the basket right in front of the door so they could start unloading. "Indeed it was. That would be my new housekeeper, Haru Yoshioka, and her little brother Hashi. Haru, Hashi, this is Toto, my best friend and traveling companion."

Like the words had turned a lock inside her, the slim brunette bowed politely with one hand behind her brother's back, so he wouldn't forget to bow as well.

Apparently, there would be a lot to get used to, while working for the Baron von Gikkingen.

"Nice to meet you, Toto."

The black bird seemed to smile around his beak, and bow back before turning to the feline lord once more. "Sorry to run out again, but it's dinner time. I'll talk with you tomorrow?"

"Of course, Toto. There's plenty of work to be done."

The crow bowed once more before taking to the skies.

Baron turned, a large stalk of rhubarb in his arms. "Can you make rhubarb pie, Miss Haru?"

The brunette knocked on her chest with one fist to help her start breathing again. "Rhubarb pie, cake, pancakes. You name it, I make it."

Baron cocked his head at her as she and her brother came forward to help carry the purchases inside the house. "I wasn't aware that rhubarb could be made into a cake, is it any good?"

Hashi jerked around, his eyes horrified. "You've never had it? It's only the best dessert in the world!"

As the orange and cream feline carefully studied the young human, the boy flushed and looked downward, gripping the can of milk that he had been carrying to the front door with both hands.

"Sorry, sir. I've got a big mouth."

"That's quite all right, Hashi," Baron said, slightly amused. "I like it when people tell me what they think. It saves so much trouble." He turned to look at the elder sister, who looked more than a little shocked, though whether it was over her brother's behavior or his casual reaction to it, he couldn't say. "I think the children and I _would_ like to try the cake, if you would be so good as to make it."

Haru snapped back to reality, and bowed respectfully over the rhubarb stalk in her arms. "As you wish."


	6. The Obsession

**Chapter Six: The Obsession**

The Countess Sai of the Cat Kingdom sipped her morning tea as her pet songbird trilled a greeting from its golden cage. Her red lips split into a naughty smile.

The Baron von Gikkingen had surely learned his lesson by now. It had been two weeks since he had posted the new version of the housekeeper ad, and she knew for a fact that no one had been able to answer it yet. She giggled softly as her delicate teeth nibbled on a scone.

Under ordinary circumstances, she would never have considered setting her cap for a mere Baron, especially one that only owned a narrow strip of land between the kingdoms. But from a political standpoint, there were none higher ranking than the Baron, save for the King and Prince.

The King had long held a strange disdain for the Countess, as had his son, from a little misunderstanding with her parents a few decades before concerning the accidental falling of a chandelier.

Sai knew that, if she wanted to, she could have the old fool wrapped around her paw in a thrice and gain an impressive inheritance upon his death, but there was a good chance that the Prince would find a way to block her path to more wealth, or even the throne. And the Prince was much too young for her to try her wiles on him.

Besides, he already had a countless number of royal and noble she-cats vying for his hand in marriage. So the logical choice was Baron.

She had wanted him for years. After he had turned her down for that white little nobody, she had given in to the advances of an aging and childless Count. If she couldn't win from a political standpoint, she could at least gain a win from a wealth standpoint. After the white Baroness had died, the autumn-colored cat had thought that she was but one poisoned glass of wine away from taking the thief's place. But even after the all-too convenient death of her old and doting husband, Baron still chose to keep his distance for reasons known only to himself.

She looked at her reflection in the window. Yes, there was no doubt of her beauty, and she could hold her own at any court. Without his mother or even a housekeeper to lean on to help him with his motherless kittens, it was only a matter of time. He had to come to his senses about her, sooner or later…

The red cat sighed again, thinking about his beautiful green eyes, and thick rich gold and ivory fur. Sai giggled like a little girl, not afraid to admit to herself that his political standing wasn't the only reason she found him so appealing.

About the only reason she didn't fly into a terrible rage after seeing the ad in the paper was that it provided her with the perfect chance to show him that the only female he could ever trust with his house and children was herself. It had cost her quite a few pretty pennies, to bribe all those potential housekeepers into presenting themselves in the worst light possible, but if that's what it took to put a 'Baroness von Gikkingen' in her name, then so be it.

Her heart began to pound in her ears, thinking about what it would be like for Baron to finally hold her close in his arms, and _kiss_ her…

"Uh, my lady?"

Sai suddenly turned, realizing in the process that she had been unconsciously kissing the scone in her hand. Her man servant Jai was looking at her nervously, like he didn't really want to disturb her.

"Yes?" she asked, a little miffed that her sweet daydream had been so rudely shattered.

Jai bit his lip nervously. "I'm afraid a candidate slipped past me, my lady. The Baron hired her on the spot."

"What?!" she screeched, jumping out of her chair. "I thought you were camped out on his land!"

"I was, my lady, but he met the candidate while he was in the human market. I approached her after the others had gone to bed, and made the usual bargain, but she turned me down flat."

"Then you should have doubled it!" she hissed at him, throwing her tea pot at him.

Jai dodged it, barely, and put his arms over his head as the porcelain shattered against the wall behind him. The wallpaper became stained brown from the tea that ran down the wall like a dirty waterfall. "I _tripled_ it, my lady! But this girl didn't even turn a hair over the money, and she's a peasant!"

Sai's paw froze, just before sending her teacup to join the teapot. "She's a peasant?"

"Well, she has to be, from the way she's dressed." Jai opened one soft grey eye to look at his mistress, and rubbed one of his dark cheeks with a grimace. "She hits like a peasant, too. She's a stubborn, willful savage of a human."

"What does she look like?" the countess asked, while setting her teacup down. Her black eyes were narrowed in a calculating manner.

Jai managed a soft laugh. "Let's just say that when the Baron _asked_ for a plain housekeeper, he _got_ one. When she doesn't talk or move, she almost disappears entirely, and it's hard to keep your eyes on her at any given time. You can't even see most of her face, because she wears a huge pair of eyeglasses that no normal person can look through. She could never hope to hold a candle to you, my lady." The ending of the speech had turned soft, almost worshipful, but the countess didn't notice the change of tone.

A second naughty smile came upon the red cat's lips as she reached over the small breakfast table, and finished eating her scone.

"A plain peasant girl that doesn't know her place…" she laughed softly. "In that case, leave her be. She'll exit the Baron's manor soon enough, one way or another. Then he will see the light, and come running… to me."

ooOoo

Baron kissed each of his children, and shook Hashi's hand before tipping his hat at Haru. "I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, possibly two weeks or longer. Children, I want you to do exactly what Miss Haru says, and be good."

"Yes, Father," they said sadly as Lily snuck one more hug.

Baron hugged her back while looking at his children's nanny. "I'm trusting you with my treasures, Miss Haru. Don't let me down."

Haru bowed once more, keenly feeling the master key for the house that he had given her, and she had wrapped around her neck for safekeeping. "I won't disappoint you, sir."

He smiled a bit at the strange lapse, and climbed onto Toto, who had been stretching his wings in an exercise pattern a few yards away. He grinned a bit as the feline lord climbed onto his back, armed only with a day's worth of food and a change of clothes in a knapsack. The Baron had always been one to travel light.

"I'll be back as soon as I can!" he called out as his darkly feathered friend took to the gorgeous blue sky.

His children waved at him until he had become the size of an ant in the distance, as his two housekeepers did the same, although they felt silly doing it.

"So, what now?" Thomas asked his tall nanny as she stretched her arms out.

"First thing is laundry. There's a good breeze in the air, and we might as well get some use of it."

"Can you tell us another story while we work?" Elly asked, holding onto the dark girl's brown skirt.

The bespectacled human laughed, and wrapped one arm around the white kitten as the rest of the children followed them back inside the house to start gathering the dirty laundry. "Have any of you ever heard the tale of White Bear Whittington?"

"Only when you were talking in your sleep again last night," Hashi said dryly before running up the stairs to escape his sister, who was in hot pursuit as the kittens collapsed into helpless laughter.


	7. The Routine

**Chapter Seven: The Routine**

Haru expertly tied the bow on the back of Elly's blue school uniform, and then stood up. "Is there anything else?" she asked Lily, who shook her head while adjusting her hold on the school bag.

"No, that should be everything, Haru. We better hurry."

Haru nodded, and followed the kittens out the door, making sure to lock it behind her.

"Do you really have to do that," Hashi asked as she slipped the key around her neck once more. "I mean, we'll only be gone for ten minutes."

"There are criminals everywhere," Thomas pointed out, shouldering his own school bag. "Better safe than sorry."

"Amen to that," Haru said as Elly once more slipped her hand into the human's, and squeezed softly. Together, they started walking to the cat side of the borderlands at a brisk pace.

The tiger-like kitten looked at Hashi from the corner of his eye. "You know, I bet Father would pay for you to go to school as well, if you asked him. Sure would be nice to have a decent study partner in that building."

The human boy laughed a bit. "As long as your father lets me and my sister read through his library after chores, I couldn't care in the least. Besides, it's a pretty big manor, and I'm not about to let Haru clean it all by herself."

The taller brunette smiled warmly, but restrained herself from reaching over to muss his hair while they were out in the open. Her brother was approaching the age where displaying public affection was well-nigh intolerable to bear. She herself had never gone through such a phase, but was willing to spare her brother's pride.

Eventually, they passed a long white fence that led up to the front doors of the most prestigious academy in the Cat Kingdom. She could see other noble kittens getting dropped off by servants, some barely even looking back to wave goodbye.

Her heart skipped a beat, wondering what the kittens expected her to do.

"Well, have a nice day, and I'll see you at three o' clock," she said finally as Elly stole one more hug. Thomas gave her a fond waving of the hand before walking away as Lily pulled her nanny's arm down enough to whisper in her ear, a slight trace of fear unconsciously present in her tone.

"Don't be late, okay?"

Haru smiled a bit, and stole a hug from the tawny kitten before she could move away. Her tardiness habits had all been beaten out of her by her last employer, almost literally so.

Which was why she left.

"Of course not. Now have a great day, and keep your siblings out of trouble."

That managed to sneak a smile past the eldest kitten's ever careful guard, and she ran after her brother and sister. Haru smiled a bit as she stood up, and her own brother slipped his hand into hers.

"So what's on today's agenda, Sis?"

She smiled a bit, and turned so that they could start walking back to the manor house. "Well, there's the ballroom floor that needs to be waxed, and the upper windows that need to be washed, both inside and out."

"How are we going to get the-" Hashi was suddenly cut off as a fully grown grey cat, with arms full of books, ran into his sister on the path to the gate opening, knocking both of them and the books everywhere.

"Oh no!" the shorthair cried out as he hopped back onto his hind feet. "I am so sorry, miss, I didn't mean to-"

"It's all right, sir," Haru said a bit calmly, rubbing the side she had fallen on. "I'm no stranger to klutz attacks," she continued as she started gathering his books. "Hashi, you okay?"

"Yeah," he grumbled, rubbing his head sorely. His sister handed the gathered books to the elegant feline.

He took them gratefully, but then stopped cold. Carefully, he looked at the human girl as she helped her little brother to his feet. "Pardon my asking, but what are you two doing in the Cat Kingdom?"

"Dropping off the von Gikkingens for school," Hashi groaned, rubbing his head. "Give me a nice safe library anytime," he muttered under his breath.

The strange cat's mismatched eyes of fire and ice suddenly lit up like firecrackers. "Wait… you're Baron's new nanny?"

"Yes," Haru said cautiously as the cat suddenly grinned fit to kill, grabbed her hand with his paw, and kissed it like a gentleman.

"Thank you. You have no idea how much you've helped both the Ulam and Cat Kingdoms."

"I beg your pardon?" the bespectacled brunette asked, confused as to why this complete stranger was getting so emotional over such a simple job.

The grey cat straightened a bit, still smiling at her. "Baron's been under a tight leash ever since his mother took ill, and it's a great relief to everyone that he can actually focus on his work while he's working, thanks to you."

Haru turned a little pink from the praise, but nodded her head politely. "Thank you, sir; but who are you, exactly?"

"Highness! You can't be late for your lecture!" interrupted a spotted brown cat from nowhere, taking a good portion of the books from the humans' arms. Haru's heart froze as the regal cat laughed sadly.

"Yes, yes. I'm coming, Natoru." The dark grey cat looked at the humans as he turned to run into the building. "I'm Lune, a friend of Baron's. Thanks again!"

Haru and Hashi stared shamelessly as the doors closed behind the royal feline, and the other servants began to file back through the gate opening.

Eventually, the dark lady grabbed her brother's hand, and started walking away from the fancy school. "Well. I never expected to meet a humble prince! Who would have thought that one even existed," she managed to say.

Hashi nodded, and tightened his grip on her hand, thinking about the nobleman that they had worked for before the Baron had hired him. "I hope the Prince of Ulam is like that one. Okay, so how are we going to clean the upper outside windows?"

Haru looked down at her brother, and grinned evilly from behind her thick glasses. Hashi groaned, knowing all too well what that look meant.

As the young lad begged her not to put him in a sling or walk on a roof again, they were passed by a frantic white cat running to the academy's gates, wearing a maid's cap and holding a small stack of papers to her chest.

"How could he have forgotten his notes again?" Yuki muttered to herself, though secretly delighted that she could be of a small service to the good prince.


	8. The Sadness

**Chapter Eight: The Sadness**

Baron patiently listened first to Lord Yani's side of the argument, which mostly contained denunciations of Lord Mani, and then listened to Lord Mani's side of the story with white knuckles, as the two felines started arguing with each other again.

"Enough!" he yelled, brushing away the mice that were trying to climb up his pant legs. "Why hasn't a fence been erected between your lands?!"

"Because Yani's border is over by that tree-"

"Don't you mean that _your_ border is all the way over there by that rock?!"

Baron slapped one hand to his forehead as the two lords began brawling once more, and a groan escaped his throat. "Toto, can you ask Natori for a copy of this area's boundaries? It may be the quickest way to deal with this mess."

The huge crow nodded once, and took off into the sky, leaving the poor Baron to deal with the childish landowners.

'_I hope my children are all right. I still don't know all that much about Miss Haru. Please, please let them be getting along fine…'_

ooOoo

"Easy… nice and slow," Haru urged as she slowly took her hands off of Elly's, so that the white kitten could finish the last touches of the decorative whipping cream on the angel food cake on her own. The last few sprays out of the icing bag were a little shaky, but were still a significant improvement over what the nanny had caught her charge attempting.

Elly's face broke out in a beautiful smile, and she hugged Haru's legs again, getting flour and traces of buttery sugar on the human's bleached apron. "Thank you, Haru! Lily, Thomas, come see the pretty job I did!"

Thomas looked up from his alchemy homework to grin at his little sister as his older one finished tying the ribbons of her pastel yellow ballet slippers up her legs. Hashi was doing human and cat history book comparisons in the Baron's library, and had made clear his wish for little to no distraction.

Thomas grinned, and looked at his book again. "Much better. Now you can tell that it's a cake, and not a pile of marshmallow cream."

Elly stuck her tongue out at him.

"Hey," Haru said sternly, as she returned to polishing silverware. "Real ladies don't stick their tongues out at people, Elly."

The white kitten slapped both hands to her mouth as a rosy blush crossed her cheeks.

The tawny sister bit her lip nervously. "Haru?"

The brunette turned towards the speaker. "Yes, Lily?"

The eldest kitten took a deep breath for courage, still feeling a bit nervous around the tall human. "Could you watch me dance? Please?"

The human smiled, and set aside the spoon. "Sure. Show me what you can do."

Lily beamed, and clapped her hands in a rhythm. The beat was two long, and three short. "Can you keep this beat?" she asked, since the musical instruments were in the opposite side of the manor, and she had no idea if her beloved nanny knew how to play any of them.

Haru grinned, and started clapping. But on the three short, she slapped her lap instead to get a slightly different sound. Lily laughed, and rose to her tiptoes. Carefully, with all the grace of a swan on a smooth lake, she twirled around the kitchen, the polished wood floor providing the perfect stage for her.

After a while, Elly giggled, and also started dancing ballet. She wasn't quite as graceful as her sister, but she had an enthusiastic attitude that caught at the brunette's heart.

Unlike the children Haru knew back at her village, Lily didn't seem to mind her sister's intrusion, even taking the pale kitten by the hand for a lovely pas de deux.

"Come, Thomas," the tawny sister sang out. "Dancing is a family pastime, and you're part of the family."

"Yeah, dance with us!" the whiter sister giggled.

Sighing overdramatically, the tiger-like brother placed a bookmark within the pages to save his place, and walked around the island in the middle of the kitchen to sweep Lily off her feet, expertly balancing her on his hip as her legs curled upward and their smaller sister twirled around them.

As Haru watched them dance a strange pas de trios, if such a dance existed, the beat became softer as her mind flew away into beautiful memories, from her own childhood.

She saw a woman at a cauldron, stirring that night's dinner while a younger version of herself read a worn book in the corner, warm and safe. The woman's belly was noticeably swollen, and she had to be careful about how close she was putting the lump in her stomach to the fire.

The door to the house opened softly enough not to catch the woman's attention, but the tiny brunette could see a tall brunette slip through and carefully shut the door behind him. His shoes were in his hands, so that his socked feet wouldn't make a sound on the wooden floor.

Haru had to bite back a giggle, remembering her father's slightly roguish smile as he raised a finger to his lips, so that the child wouldn't alert the woman at the cauldron. He set the shoes aside so that he could come up right behind the woman, and suddenly slip his arms around her.

She screamed as he laughed, and twirled her around so that he could guide her around the kitchen. "Hasho, if I've told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't sneak up on me! It's bad for the baby!" the maternal woman scolded the man, making the girl in the corner giggle.

"No. It's good for the baby, and for us," he said while laughing, sneaking a kiss from his beloved wife.

Despite herself, the woman melted into his embrace, and hummed softly as he continued to dance with her to a melody no mere ear could ever hope to hear.

Little Haru set her book into her lap, and watched the couple dance. She dreamed about the day when it would be her turn to dance.

No… never. It would _never_ be her turn.

"Haru, are you okay?" Lily seemed to ask from nowhere.

The brunette suddenly snapped back to the present, a little stunned that the three had stopped dancing, and were staring at her with concern. "What? Of course I am," she assured them, despite her heartache.

Elly walked forward, and touched on of her nanny's cheeks in a loving gesture, making the brunette realize how wet her face was. "Then why are you crying?" she asked in a small voice.

Haru managed to smile softly, making an effort to stop the twin rivers flowing down her face as she swept the kitten into her arms, and squeezed softly, firmly ordering the howling in her heart to be still. "Because your dance was so lovely. I bet your father's really proud of you three." There was no need to worry the kittens over her problems. She'll be just fine.

Eventually.

Good thing Hashi wasn't here to see her tears again. He couldn't handle them very well.


	9. The bribe

**Chapter Nine: The Bribe**

Baron's breath came a little easier, as Toto soared through the sky like a hot knife through butter.

The trip Toto had taken for a map with area boundaries had proven to be useless, since the land in question had been passed between the two enemies' families for centuries like a hot potato.

But, knowing that the Cat King would stand by Baron's judgment, the tawny half-feline had settled the dispute by splitting the land right down the middle, and making sure that the two lords would immediately start fencing off their lands, so that their mouse herds wouldn't intermingle again.

Even now, three days after the task, Baron groaned at the memory of splitting the herds as well. Neither lord was very happy with his decision, but then again, Baron wasn't too pleased with the lords' childish conduct either.

"Hold it, Toto," Baron said suddenly, as his home came into view. "Can you drop me off behind the house?"

"What for?" the dark crow asked, as he made the necessary U-turn in the air over the manor.

"I want to see what Miss Haru does when I'm not around to watch her. Go rest for a while, that trip must have exhausted you," the orange and cream cat softly as he expertly slid off his friend and onto the solid earth.

Toto seemed to understand Baron's need for subterfuge, because he immediately took off to the sky again, going quite a bit farther up then he needed to before sailing to his tree.

Baron muttered an invisibility spell under his breath while approaching his home, praying that no one had seen him.

He had but to peak through the kitchen window to become comforted.

Haru was making some strange rice dish that he wasn't familiar with, and her brother was chopping up fresh herbs at her side. His three treasures were at the table, bent over their homework as their quills danced over the thick paper.

Baron sighed softly. Everything looked in order. He could see Elly's adorable little nose wrinkle up in confusion.

"Haru? What's the capital of your native kingdom?"

"Preal," the human said, stepping aside so her brother could dump the cut herbs into a steaming pot. Baron's nose could just smell it from the other side of the door, and the scent made his mouth water shamelessly.

"Thanks." The white kitten wrote in the answer. "What was it like there?"

"I don't know. I've never been to my kingdom's capital. Father used to go there all the time, but he didn't enjoy it. The Yrathean king always used to set his teeth on edge."

Hashi looked up at her sharply as he stirred the vegetable broth. "You never told me about that."

"You were about a year old when he stopped going, and he didn't like talking about his experiences there very much afterward." Her somewhat grim mouth broke into a gentle smile, and she fondly mussed her brother's hair. "Dinner's ready when you three are. How's the homework coming?"

"Done!" Lily said triumphantly, making a final dash on the smooth paper as her sister also closed her book.

But Thomas was still frowning at his botany book, gripping his quill almost like a weapon. "I can't figure out this last question!" he burst out. "How should I know what plant does a certain race of canines fear and despise?!"

"Aconitum vulparia," Hashi said immediately, almost like a reflex action.

His sister laughed and wrapped her brother in a warm embrace, despite his somewhat weak protests. "You actually remembered! I'm so proud!"

Thomas cocked his head, and started leafing through his book. "There's no mention of that plant in here, what is it?"

"It's the original name for wolfs bane," Haru said as the tomcat's sisters began clearing off the table, and setting it for supper. "Humans use it to kill wolves and each other. It has yellow flowers, and is quite poisonous. Wolfs bane is usually found in mountain forests. The higher, the better."

Thomas stared at the two, and then wrote in the information. "Wow. Thank you, that might come in handy later."

"As long as you don't abuse that information," Haru said a little firmly, setting the huge rice bowl on the table. "I doubt your father would approve of me telling you about various natural poisons for anything besides study."

Baron smiled, and laughed a bit as he released the spell hiding him from the happy group and opened the door in one move. "I couldn't agree with you more, Miss Haru."

It was quite a good thing that she had already put down the rice bowl, and that her brother hadn't picked up the vegetable-filled pot yet, because they both nearly jumped out of their skins at the sudden intruder, and landed firmly on the floor with rather impressive shrieks of shock.

"Father!" Lily cheered, racing her siblings to the door to swarm over their sire. He laughed, and embraced the three of them the best he could.

He had long held the belief that the good part of being away from his precious kittens for any amount of time was the moment when he came home. Very few things could top what he felt, being reunited with his beloved children.

"Have you been good?" he asked a bit sternly, most pointedly looking at Elly.

She nodded, but turned a little pink from the extra attention around the question. "Yes, and Haru's been taking really good care of us. She's really smart!"

Baron looked up at the nanny, who was turning a little red behind her thick glasses as she helped her brother get back to his feet. "I noticed. Just out of curiosity, Miss Haru, how is it you know so much about wolfs bane?"

She shrugged a bit, and picked up the vegetable concoction as her brother found a hot pad for it. "Hashi and I grew up in a bookstore. Father had us reading before we could walk."

Her brother's smile turned slightly humorous. "I'm still convinced that we only learned how to walk so that we could get to the books faster."

Baron wouldn't help but chuckle a bit at that. "No wonder you two got so excited by my library. Well, were there any problems?"

The brunette paused a second from pumping water into a pitcher. "None that I can think of. Well, there _was_ this really annoying cat that kept popping up everywhere, but I could handle him."

"Oh? What did he want?" Baron asked, taking a seat at the table as Elly readied another plate setting to accommodate his sudden presence. Even from over here, he could see just how subtly his nanny was biting her lip.

"Nothing much," she said evasively, making her employer sigh tiredly.

"Miss Haru, I should think that if some strange cat has been prowling around my home when I'm away, I deserve to know about it. Please tell me what he wanted."

The bespectacled brunette sighed tiredly in defeat. "All right, all right. He wanted me to pack up my brother and leave your kittens alone to fend for themselves. He even offered me a decent amount of gold if I'd do it while you were gone."

"He what?!" Baron almost roared, jumping out of his seat. Haru held her hands up defensively, slightly scared of the half-cat, since she had never seen the half-feline in anything less than in a sweet temperament. Even his three kittens took a few steps back from him.

"Hey, if I was going to do it, I'd have done it my first night here! Believe me, I've been turning him down as many times as he asks, and I even kick him off your property when he gets too insistent. Literally, and I'm not too gentle about it, either."

The orange and cream cat stormed up to the human girl, and took her firmly by the shoulders. "What did he look like? What was his name?" Baron pressed.

Haru subtly bit her lip again, realizing that it wasn't really _her _that he was angry with. "His fur was black, but kind of an ashy variety of the color. His eyes were on the light grey side, but I'm afraid that I don't remember his name. He only mentioned it once, when he first approached me, and I was a little too outraged at his offer to cement the information into my mind."

Just barely through the thickness of her glasses, the lord could see her somewhat fine eyebrows curl up in concentration.

"But I'm pretty sure that he was acting on someone else's orders. A Countess, or something like that."


	10. The Threat

**Chapter Ten: The Threat**

Baron had to restrain his anger fiercely, as he approached Sai's front door and rang the bell twice. To distract him from his nerves, he rubbed the polished cane at his side with one thumb, idly wondering if it was time for a new one. This one had seen him through five years, and there were a great many, though very slight, dents in it.

The door opened, making the orange and cream feline look up at the lavender one.

The maid gasped softly, but bowed low. "Would you care to come in, my lord?"

"I would, actually," Baron said, stepping into the overly styled home. "Is there a way that I can speak with the Countess? There's a rather urgent business that I would like to discuss with her."

The maid smiled, and a giggle escaped her throat as she bowed once more and scampered off to retrieve her mistress.

Baron looked around the parlor, barely able to keep his expression to be anything but blank. The Countess's sense of style had always been to echo the latest fashions, and as prone fashion is to change, she currently had a group of workers changing the wallpaper on one wall as another cat made tally marks in his pocketbook, muttering to himself the whole time. This particular cat had a rather ashy sort of black fur and grey eyes, marking him as one of the lord's targets.

"Baron, darling! How nice of you to drop by!"

The feline lord bit back a groan, and turned to face Sai. She was wearing dark green today, with a long rope of emeralds wrapped around her graceful neck. She was smiling beatifically, though he could see the slight trace of a smirk.

That was all Baron needed to see, but he was determined to get the last laugh. He bowed grandly for her, catching the black cat quietly order the other cats out of the room in the corner of his eye. "It is, of course, always a pleasure to speak with you, dear Countess."

"Please call me Sai," she pleaded, her large black eyes glowing with triumph. "We've been friends for too long for all the formalities."

Baron bit back a grin, and moved in for the kill. "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I had posted a nanny ad in the newspapers some time ago. The one I eventually picked out turned out to be a nuisance."

"You don't say!" she said sympathetically, another smirk crossing her red lips.

Baron nodded, and smiled grimly. "You wouldn't believe some of the things she's been up to. First she steals my kittens' affections, takes over my kitchen, and cleans the house until it becomes impossible to find a single speck of filth anywhere. Then on top of everything else…" Baron paused dramatically.

Sai held her breath, and leaned in a bit. "Yes?" she whispered.

"She flat out refuses to lie to me. Some things she just refuses to talk about, but she doesn't hide the important things from me. I'm particularly distressed by her stories of Jai stalking her."

Sai's heart froze solid. "She was probably-"

"I'm not finished, Sai," Baron said firmly. "I tracked down some of the nannies I had rejected, and they all had gold with your scent or Jai's on them. Furthermore, I am not amused in the least that you have been involving yourself in my domestic affairs." He took a step closer to her, his green eyes filled with a fiery rage. The Countess took a few steps back, having never seen the Baron angry before, let alone at such an impressive level.

"I'm only going to say this once, Sai, and it will be your last warning," the tawny lord said in that low dangerous tone. "Stay away from my property, my children, and my nanny. If I ever catch even a hint that you're sticking your paw in my business again, not only will I drag you in front of the royal court for your conduct, I will pull enough strings to make you lose your rank."

"You wouldn't dare!" the red feline shrieked fearfully at him.

But he didn't even blink in surprise or reluctance. "Try me. And my warning is extended to all under your service. Stay away from me, and you can continue with your frivolous little amusements. I don't have the time or the patience to deal with yet another fool." Baron tipped his hat stiffly, and walked out the front door.

"It's been a pleasure having that little chat with you, Countess, and I encourage you not to forget about it, if you want to keep your current lifestyle."

Clearly, even as he passed the white fence surrounding Sai's estate, Baron could hear the shattering of crockery accompanied by banshee-like screams. He bit back a chuckle of amusement and relief before heading back home.

The tawny lord had no intention of missing out on one of Haru's meals.

ooOoo

"Okay, are you ready?" Haru calmly asked as her little brother twitched nervously, wringing the rag in his hands anxiously.

"Do we really have to do it like this?" he begged as she picked him up. "I could fall, you know."

"You won't," she crooned, easing half of him out of the open window. "Have I ever dropped you?"

"You came close once," Hashi wheezed as he curled around the glass window with a wet rag, and started cleaning the outside of it at a furious pace so that his sister would pull him back in sooner.

"There's a difference between close and actually happening, dear brother," Haru said. When Hashi was done with the window, she expertly pulled him back inside, and wrapped him up in a hug as he clung to her fearfully.

"Besides, do you really think I'd let anything happen to you?" she whispered lovingly while kissing his dark brown hair, which matched her own.

"I guess not," he mumbled into one arm, squeezing her like he was still a small child.

They stood there for a full minute, soaking in each other's presence. They had been close when they had lived in the bookstore with their parents, but the time since then had only drawn them closer.

Idly, Haru wondered if she had ever thought 'I' instead of 'we'.

The taller brunette sighed a bit, and ruffled her brother's hair. "All right, Hashi. That's enough of a break. I think we have enough time to wash the eggplants for dinner before picking up the kittens from school."

Hashi nodded, but still clung to his beloved sister as they walked as one down the staircase to the first floor. "Haru?" the boy asked as the tall brunette started rummaging through the cabinet she had hidden the eggplants in.

"Yes?" she asked over her shoulder as he found a bowl for the washing.

"I like it here," he said simply, pumping a bit of water into the bowl. "The Baron's a good master, and the work's not too bad."

"The pay's nothing to complain about either," Haru added with a giggle, looking at her brother's new attire from the corner of her glasses.

Although it hadn't really been necessary, Baron had insisted that they got new clothes, since their brown ones were a little worn. What's more, they were made at an actual store! Imagine!

Haru had never minded sewing her clothes as well as her brother's, since she had done so ever since they were orphaned, but she was forced to admit that the serviceable blue-grey dress, complete with a white apron for housework, she was now in not only felt better, but was actually tougher than the homespun she had normally worn. Her brother was in a similar uniform, but minus the skirt and apron.

"Do… you think," Hashi stammered, "… we could stay here for longer than a few months? Since Baron likes our work so much and everything?"

Haru looked over at him, her own heart aching. She drew him close for one more embrace after dumping the eggplants in his water-filled bowl.

"I fully plan on our staying here as long as the Baron wants us to."


	11. The Revelation

**Chapter Eleven: The Revelation**

_The air was soft and cool, and moonlight spread over the enchanting garden. _

_The tawny lord sighed happily, and wrapped one arm around his fiancé's shoulder. "It truly is a magical night, isn't it, Louise?"_

"_Yes," she commented, but her voice was strangely hollow. _

_Baron looked down at her sharply. "Darling? What's wrong?"_

_Those beautiful blue eyes began to overflow with tears, and the lovely white cat buried her face in his shoulder, clinging to him longingly. "Why?" she cried. "Why don't you love me?"_

_Baron's heart nearly stopped in his chest as he hugged the feline and kissed her soft ear. "I do love you," he assured her firmly. "Why on earth would you ever doubt that, darling?"_

_Her clawed paws, which had not begun their change, took a dangerous hold on his shoulders. "Then why haven't you kept your promise to me?!" she demanded, her eyes still overflowing with tears. "Why haven't you remarried by now?! You promised me our children would have a-"_

Baron gasped as he jumped out of his covers, his blood running cold. He put one hand over his chest to steady the irregular heartbeat.

"A nightmare," he muttered to himself, looking around his bedroom in the dim light of dawn. Almost of their own violation, his green eyes trailed up to the portrait of his beloved wife. It could have just been the dim light, but her china blue eyes seemed sorrowful.

Baron groaned as he slipped out of bed and threw on a bathrobe. "I haven't married yet because I haven't met a woman worthy to finish what you started," he said aloud with a note of finality, gazing at the portrait. "I will keep my promise when the right one appears."

Why did his heart still feel like a block of ice? He sighed tiredly, and headed for his bathroom. A hot shower would do wonders.

Suddenly, a bit of movement from the window caught the tawny feline's eye. He stopped in order to get a better look. His green eyes widened in disbelief.

Despite the fact that the two had stayed up the night before to finish polishing the stair banister, the Yoshioka siblings were up at the crack of dawn, perhaps involved in an old tradition.

The two were standing side by side, slowly rotating and extending their arms in unison as their feet moved around in an equally slow pattern.

Baron bit his lip, wondering where he had seen that exercise practiced before…

His doubts were suddenly dashed as Hashi flashed an evil grin, and quickly jabbed his hand towards his sister's side. She jumped and twirled in the air before landing a good five feet away, her entire body lowered to the ground like a tiger about to strike down its prey. An equally evil smile crossed her lips, although there was no true malice in the gesture.

Completely shocked, Baron watched as his two housekeepers began sparring, their movements nearly as quick as lightning. Haru seemed to almost impossibly bend over backwards to avoid Hashi's fist while at the same time throwing him over her head. He rolled safely, and jumped back onto his feet so that he could turn and attack again.

Absorbed in the aggressive dance, Baron leaned closer to the window and rested his arms on the sill so that he could rest his head on the cool glass. His breath almost immediately fogged over the sparring match, causing the feline lord mutter under his breath and quickly rub one sleeve across the glass so that he could see again.

But it was already too late. Hashi had somehow landed solidly on the soft dewy grass, with his sister's shoe firmly planted on his chest. There was a surprisingly gentle smile on her lips, which easily showed through as she spoke softly to her brother. Baron squinted his eyes, to get a better idea of what words her lips were forming.

"…_too fast, Hashi. That's always a trap you need to watch out for."_

Hashi grimaced as he took the arm she offered him, and got back on his feet. _"Sorry about that, Sis. I'll work harder."_

She beamed proudly, and kissed his brow while hugging him close. _"That's enough practice for today. Baron should be waking up soon, and it'll be a little difficult to explain just why two ordinary peasants know how to fight like this."_

"_We could always tell him the truth,"_ Hashi offered as they walked back towards the house.

Baron could just make out his sister's reply before she moved out of his line of vision.

"_But would he believe us? I'd rather not take chances with this job, thanks all the same."_

The orange and cream cat stayed by his window for several minutes, completely stunned. "Just who are you two?" he whispered. "What is it that I wouldn't believe?"

ooOoo

Hashi frowned at the sugary water angrily. "For crying out loud, why won't it boil?!"

His sister looked over at him and laughed while stirring a blue-spotted batter with a whisk. "Why don't you go make sure that the kittens are up?" she suggested. "Tell them that breakfast will be ready by the time they get dressed and down here?"

He grinned, and ran for the door while his sister put her whisk carefully aside, and ladled spoonfuls of her strange concoction onto the hot buttered frying pan in front of her.

The door creaked open again. Haru looked up through her glasses to see Baron walk through the kitchen door.

She smiled at him from behind her glasses before turning back to the blueberry pancakes. "Good morning, Baron. Did you sleep well?"

The tawny lord took a minute before answering. "Well enough, Miss Haru. And yourself?"

She shrugged, keeping her eyes on the pancakes. "Pretty good. Are you going to be staying home today, sir?"

Baron shook his head, and walked up next to her. "I'm afraid that King Herald needs my assistance today. May I ask you something, Miss Haru?"

"Sure, fire away." The dark human started flipping pancakes.

Baron took a breath. "Why did you come to work for me?"

She looked over at him, slightly alarmed by the question. "Well, the owner of the Dragon's Breath Inn didn't need more helpers, and he said that you'd probably hire me on the spot for my looks alone."

He cocked his head at her. "Beg pardon?"

"'Only plain girls need apply'," she reminded him, flipping the last pancake. "Besides, if I didn't try to get you to hire me, Hashi and I would have needed to sleep in a gutter again."

"What?!" Baron asked, incredulous that his sweet-tempered nanny would stoop to that.

The bespectacled human shrugged again as she sliced an orange open and started crushing it in a special contraption for juice. "We've had to do that a couple times since we were orphaned three years ago. It's hard to find a decent job that can feed both of us, and I didn't want you to hire me out of pity."

He stared at her again, making her feel a little uneasy.

She doubled her advances on the orange pieces, trying to ignore his gaze. "I enjoy working for you, Baron. This is the first job I've found that can provide for me and my brother, while at the same time enjoying the work. You're a good man- or cat," she added hastily, "to work under. We're happy here." Sniffing the slight burn coming from the stove, the human girl immediately dropped the oranges in order to stir the sugary water and add a bit of maple for flavor.

She could feel Baron's eyes on her, as she flipped the perfect pancakes onto a plate, and start the next round of fluffy treats.

"Why were you orphaned?" he asked softly.

Haru's heart froze, with memories of that terrible night. "There was a fire at the bookstore," she said finally. "We lived above the shop, and our mother was sick in bed. Father was already dead by an accident two years before. Hashi and I were out getting medicine for Mother, and when we came back, the house was in flames. Some friends managed to keep us from going in to rescue our mother. We couldn't stay in that town afterwards, so we left."

As she put the pancakes on the beautifully set table, she suddenly felt Baron's hands on her shoulders as she was gently, but firmly, turned around to face him. Despite the feeble protection her thick glasses gave her, Haru suddenly felt very defenseless against those mint-green orbs, which glowed worriedly.

There was something strange in his gaze, almost a tight worry over something she couldn't quite place. The more Haru looked into those deep, glorious eyes, the more she seemed to fall into them, almost like she was going into a hypnotic trance that she may well never break from.

Although the brunette knew that her feline employer meant her know harm, and probably never would, her heart began to pound a frantic warning from his strangely gentle touch.

"How did the fire get started?" he asked persistently, unwittingly snapping her out of her silent trance.

Haru's breath gave a shudder with memories of that night, and of the dancing flames that had consumed what was left of her life in the village. Slowly, she reached up, and gently took Baron's hands off of her shoulders, not used to being touched by anyone except children.

He seemed a little surprised; over his hands or her reaction to them, the brunette couldn't say. Whatever the reason, Baron's hands came down to his sides, almost to his back.

"I have my suspicions, but that's all they are," she said finally. "The authorities didn't give us a clue as to why it happened. Not that it matters anymore. Even if we knew the reason, it wouldn't bring Mother or the shop back. All that's left is the future. That's always what's left."

Baron nodded his gaze warm and compassionate, though still slightly worried. Haru managed a small smile, and poured the maple syrup into a more attractive container and placed it on the table.

"If I can make sure that Hashi has the happy childhood I had, then my debt to Mother and Father will be rep-"

The door burst open, and Lily seemed to fly through the air and attach herself to Haru's waist, completely free from her usual ladylike demeanor. "Blueberry pancakes?!" she squealed. "You're the best, Haru! Good morning, Father!"

"Good morning," Baron managed to say, feeling strangely disappointed, although he knew that it wasn't over his daughter's behavior. Elly ran in next, followed by Hashi as he laughed his head off.

The reason for the human boy's mirth became clear as Thomas hopped into the kitchen while trying to tie on a shoe at the same time. He grimaced at the laughter from the adults before finally sitting down at the table to finish the shoe-tying.

Baron let loose one last chuckle as the family sat down for breakfast and started passing the steaming pancakes around the table as Haru flipped the next batch to keep it from burning.

"Can you stay home today, Father?" Thomas asked hopefully.

Baron sighed as he monitored Elly's syrup pouring technique; particularly the amount. "I'm afraid not today. But I have made it clear to both majesties that I'm going to spend the entire day with all of you tomorrow."

His three kittens gave a whoop of delight as the tawny feline's eyes were drawn, almost magnetically, to the slim human woman flipping the next batch of pancakes onto a fresh plate.

"You'll watch them, won't you, Haru?" he asked, trying not to sound too worried about it.

The brunette looked over at him for a moment, and smiled. There was a slight trace of irony to the gesture, one that wasn't lost on the feline lord. "Trust me, Baron. Anyone that tries to harm your kittens will have to go through _me_ first." She bit back an equally ironic laugh while placing the plate between Hashi and Elly. "I may not look like it, but I can be pretty intimidating when I set my mind to it. Your children are safe with me; you should know that by now."

Baron smiled with relief, and sipped the fresh tea she had prepared for him. It wasn't like his, but it was still surprisingly good. "That's all I needed to hear. Thank you, Haru."

Perhaps without realizing it, he had dispensed with the usual 'miss' when addressing her. Haru noticed, though, and she couldn't help but wonder if there was some significance in the loss.


	12. The Picnic

**Chapter Twelve: The Picnic**

"That one, Haru. Think you can reach it?" Lily asked hopefully. The bespectacled brunette looked up at the huge picnic basket that was resting on top of a cabinet in the kitchen. Biting her lip, she grabbed a chair from the table and set it directly in front of the cabinet. Carefully getting on it, she stood up tall and got to her tiptoes.

Her fingertips just barely brushed the solid handle of the wicker basket. Grimacing a bit, she angled her arm differently, digging her elbow into the painted wood of the cabinet door. Her longest finger just managed to curl around the edge, and drag the basket close enough to her to grab the body of the basket, and carefully bring it down.

"You're sure your father won't mind?" she asked worriedly, passing the wicker prize to Thomas.

"As long as we're careful with it, Father won't mind. I think." The tiger-like kitten immediately turned away so that he could dust off the basket and line it with a folded tablecloth.

"That sounds reassuring," his nanny said sarcastically while getting off the chair. After putting the seat away, she hovered protectively over Elly as she carefully cut cucumbers for sandwiches.

The von Gikkingen children were planning a surprise picnic for their father today, and he was firmly staying in his room until they were ready to go.

Another one of the restrictions was that the kittens insisted on making the picnic lunch themselves, but that didn't stop their nanny from dropping hints as needed.

"Just a little more paprika, Lily," Haru urged as Lily struggled to mix the potato salad, panting a bit.

"This isn't as easy as it looks. How come you never told me about that?"

Haru shrugged. "I used to chop wood every day, summer or winter. Making potato salad is a lot easier than that."

Lily nodded while shaking a bit more paprika into the salad, her sister making exquisite little sandwiches while her brother carefully sprinkled a few choice herbs into the boiling teapot, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

"This is going to be wonderful…" he whispered excitedly.

Haru laughed, pulling up a chair next to her brother, who was reading another botany book. "I bet it is. It's been a while since you three had some alone time with your father, hasn't it?"

"Six months," Elly reported, placing her edible works of art within individual tissues, then into a box. "Last Christmas. It's hard to get some family time in with Father's jobs; but he always takes Christmas off, no matter what. It's just… hard for him to get time with us at any other season."

Haru saddened, and reached over to ruffle her brother's hair. "I'm sure that Hashi and I can find some corner we haven't washed yet. Or maybe we could raid through the library," she mused.

Lily looked up from her struggle with the potato salad, completely shocked. "What? I thought you were coming with us!"

"I thought so too!" Elly protested as Thomas nearly dropped the teapot he was pouring into a large watertight pitcher.

"I was also under the impression that you two would be joining us," the tiger-like kitten said carefully.

Haru shook her head firmly. "Who knows when you'll get some alone time with your father again? Besides, we're… not really part of the family."

"Of course you are," Lily declared defensively, deciding that the potato salad had taken enough abuse. "I mean, you're as good as part of the family! We made enough food for both of you to come!"

Haru smiled a bit from behind her glasses. "I'm touched that you three consider us to be family, but I think we'll pass. This is supposed to be for you and your father to have some alone time. Right, Hashi?"

The boy snapped out of the book. "Huh? What were we talking about?" he asked incredulously.

His elder sister laughed and pushed him on the shoulder. "We're going to stay here and maybe raid through Baron's library while he's off on the picnic with the kittens, right?"

"What? I thought we were going with them!" he protested, making Haru groan in frustration.

"It looks like you've been outvoted, Haru," Lily said mischievously while transferring her salad into a bowl with a locking lid.

The slim brunette sighed, only able to think of one last defense. "How about this? If Baron wants us to come, we'll come. Deal?"

"Deal," Elly squealed, running from the kitchen to fetch her father.

"Don't pressure him into letting us come!" Haru called out after the white kitten, knowing which way she would try to swing the father's vote.

Hashi immediately sank back into his book with a knowing smirk.

Thomas laughed a bit, sealing up the tea jar before slipping it into the large basket. "He'll want you to come. He likes you."

"Because I'm a good nanny and housekeeper," the human girl reminded him, feeling a bit apprehensive about the business. "Besides, you three are with me all the time. You don't get to be with your father half as much, so why do you-"

"Because we like you!" Lily nearly shouted, slamming her salad bowl down so that she could run around the table and hug her beloved nanny around her slim waist. "Is there something wrong with liking you?!"

Haru stared at the tawny kitten clinging to her, more than a little surprised that she was getting so passionate over a mere picnic.

"We won't have as much fun if you don't come," she whispered, hugging her nanny a little tighter. "Please?"

Haru sighed, and wrapped her arms around the kitten child, squeezing her consolingly. "Only if your father says so."

A minute or so later, Elly bounced back into the kitchen, almost dragging her father behind her. But the look on his face said that he didn't mind his captivity in the least.

His eyes strayed to the full picnic basket. The green gaze warmed and saddened at the conflicting memories that were more than likely associated with the rarely used device. His inner battle was concluded with a strange sort of sigh that seemed to echo with innumerable emotions.

Elly coughed pointedly, pulling on her father's arm like it was a doorbell. Baron's gaze sparked back to life as his mind was firmly brought back to the present. He looked down at his smallest kitten, who looked very pointedly at the housekeepers.

Baron looked up at the human girl, and smiled warmly. "I agree with Elly, Haru. You and Hashi _are_ part of the family now, and we'd be honored to have you accompany us."

The brunette smiled in defeat. "I guess it's a good thing I didn't put wagers on your decision." She poked her brother in the shoulder while standing up, one arm still around Lily. "Let's go, Hashi. Everything's ready."

The human boy rather reluctantly set his book down, and slid out of the seat, though scarcely taking the trouble to hide the triumphant smirk on his face.

ooOoo

Baron himself had insisted on carrying the basket. It was rather heavy, and his manners wouldn't allow him to let Haru carry it.

His father had trained him well.

They walked for quite a distance, always in the borderland. The kittens were in front, whispering and possibly arguing about where to picnic. Hashi was walking between the lord and his sister, his studious eyes carefully examining the sky in search of familiar clouds.

The basket handles were digging into the flesh of his arm! It was too heavy!

"Do you have any idea where we're going?" Baron finally asked Haru over Hashi, since the younger human was still pretty small, but she shook her head.

"Not a clue. They've been keeping things top secret."

"Here!" Lily announced, pointing at a lovely oak tree, bedecked in summer splendor. Haru whistled appreciatively at the ideal spot as Baron rushed forward, relieved to be released from his burden as he set it gently on the ground, between the huge roots of the even bigger tree.

The children each took out some of the food or utensils so that Haru could start unfolding the large blanket that had been cushioning them.

As the fabric became longer, Baron took the other side so that he could help the human maiden unfold the blanket, throwing the middle of it into the air so that it could settle flat across the grass. The wind was soft and cool, just enough to be refreshing, but not enough to disturb the blanket as the happy group began arranging themselves over it and patiently passing around the plates of food.

"This sandwiches are exquisite, Haru," Baron managed to say after a swallow.

The nanny smiled mischievously. "Thanks, but Elly did them."

"Really?"

The white kitten nodded proudly, taking a big sip of her brother's tea. "Haru watched, but we made the picnic."

Baron laughed happily, and raised his simple cup to the human girl in tribute. "My gratitude, Haru. Now if you could teach them your recipe for vegetarian lasagna, life would be perfect."

"I'll start on it tomorrow," she promised, a small bit of pride welling up for her cooking students' accomplishments.

After the food and tea was devoured, Elly gave a happy sigh, and laid her head in Haru's lap.

Hashi sharply looked over, a slight twinge of jealousy clear in his black-eyed gaze.

"Can you tell us a story, Haru?" the white kitten coaxed.

The nanny laughed and started scratching her charge's ear. "Well, what do you want to hear?"

"Cinderella," Lily responded immediately, making Thomas and Hashi groan.

"Yes, Cinderella," Elly said sleepily, making her brother growl.

"Come now, that story is so played-out, it doesn't even need to be told these days."

"I hate the stereotypes," Hashi muttered furiously. "The pretty girl's always good, the step-family's always bad, and the prince is a superficial fool. I don't understand why the tale is so popular."

Haru sharply looked over at her little brother, understanding his distaste. "Well, what if I switch it around?" she asked.

Baron's green gaze flicked to her, a little confused. "Beg pardon?"

"What if I switch the story around so that it's new," she continued. "That way, you won't know what comes next."

Baron smiled indulgently, and gave a subtle flick of the wrist. "Feel free, Haru. Tell us your version of Cinderella. I must admit that I grow tired of the same old story as well."


	13. The Story

**Chapter Thirteen: The Story**

"All right." Haru sighed, and rolled her shoulders a bit. Her mouth went grim, and began muttering. "Cinderella… Cinderella… Cinder- got it!" The human girl smiled triumphantly at the group, and began the tale.

_Once upon a time, in a land that wasn't as far away as you'd think, there was a young maiden. She was lovely, to be sure, with pale lavender fur and sparkling eyes, but to be honest, she wasn't all that concerned about her appearance. Her heart was big enough that all who knew her could not help but to love her. The fair cat's father was a fish merchant, very well respected, and he doted on his only daughter, who had the semblance of her dear departed mother._

Baron's glance unconsciously slipped down to Elly's face before sliding back up to the storyteller's. He ordered his heart to be still, but it wasn't listening all that well. It usually didn't.

_But then one day, tragedy struck. Her dear father's ships were sunk at sea, and his fortune was lost to the fathoms below. Overnight, he had become a poor man and a sick one on top of that. He sold everything he had to pay his debts, even surrendering his wonderful clothes so that he could afford a doctor. But alas, the physician was a fraud, and the poor maiden was left on the streets with a dying father._

"_Fear not, my child," he whispered to her, even as the angel of death drew close to collect his soul. "Good things come to those who are patient, and you'll need to be patient in this cold world, my girl." He handed her a special pearl necklace, the very last thing of worth he would ever own. "Your mother wore this on our wedding day, and I promised her that you would one day wear it at your own. Please, don't lose it." _

"_Never, Father," she declared, wrapping the precious treasure within an unassuming rag, to stave off thieves. "I will wear it one day, I promise." _

_Thus comforted, the old cat died, right in his beloved daughter's arms. She wept, naturally, for she had loved him more than life itself. _

_After the worst of her grief had run its course, she herself buried her father. It was a long and laborious task, for truly, she had never done common work before. But after her father was safely buried, she was faced with the grim task of finding work for herself._

_She went from door to door, begging for work in exchange for shelter, but no one wanted anything to do with this dirty vagabond. Her lovely lavender fur became matted and dirty, and the look in her eye became vague and lost as she slowly gave herself up to perpetual hunger, since her skills with fishing and catching game were barely enough to keep her alive. _

_One day, perhaps a few months or even a year after her father's death, she had wandered to a stone bridge, and had taken shelter underneath it for the night. She was cold, tired, and hungry, but there was little she could do about that. Overcome by the sorrows life had brought her, she cried helplessly into the rag that contained her mother's beautiful pearl necklace. So loud were her sobs, that she could not hear the gentle footsteps of a stranger until he had placed his paw on her shoulder in a gesture of comfort._

_She jumped away from the touch, alarmed at being caught alone by a strange male. But his voice was calm, and his eyes compassionate. Slowly, with offerings of travel food and water, he extracted her tale of woe from her. So touched was he, that he persuaded her to come with him to the palace, which had been his destination before hearing her sobs. She was more than a little apprehensive about approaching the palace, but trusted the kind stranger as he led her through one of the servants' entrances, and came to a large white kitchen, filled to the brim with delicious scents and bustling servants. _

_With singleness of purpose, the alley cat was lead through the masses until she was face to face with a large white longhair, who was obviously in charge of the kitchens. Her friend spoke rather firmly to the longhair, persuading her that after the frail cat at his side was given a bath and a few good meals, she would be able to earn her keep. The head cook said good-naturedly that the new helper would be quite at home under her care._

_Overcome with gratitude, the starving cat fell at her rescuer's feet, thanking him over and over. The stranger was a bit embarrassed at the emotional display, but bowed politely and promised to check in on her from time to time._

_As if there was nothing more important, the head cook herself took the pale cat to the baths, and gave her enough fish to satisfy her monstrous appetite. After that, she was as good as the head cook's granddaughter. _

_Not that things were always wonderful. There were always floors to be scrubbed, fishes to de-scale, and soups to stir. Not to mention the countless nobles and royals that treated her as if she were invisible, or even a terrible nuisance for not performing duties fast enough. But after a few weeks, the lavender cat grew accustomed to her new life, and even found a bit of happiness. Her friend was as good as his word, checking in on her at least once a week, or even managing to find her when she was cleaning the ballroom by herself for an unwitting accident. But she didn't mind, he was a good friend, and someone she could confide in whenever her former depression began to creep back._

_And he trusted her, too. Although he was usually evasive about the exact duties he performed around the palace, she knew his secret fears, and his darkest secrets. After a time, the lavender cat concluded that her feelings for him were extending a little too far than what was right and proper. She was a servant, after all, and although he was probably one as well, he was still a higher class than her. She sadly concluded that a future with this wonderful and strange cat was absolutely out of the question, and tried to put her feelings aside. _

_But then, it happened. There was a royal proclamation made to the entire kingdom, summoning all the eligible and unattached females to come to a ball in the prince's honor. The ball in question was a rather blatant excuse to pressure the prince into choosing a bride, for his father the king was growing impatient to become a grandfather._

_The servants were busier than ever before, to prepare for the big night, and our lavender cat was no exception. Dismally, she remembered the parties she had gone to when her father was still alive, and wished for the chance to attend such a party one final time. The prince himself did not matter that much to her, for she had never personally seen him, but her heart and legs did so long to dance the night away._

_But she had learned by now not to put so much trust in dreams. Some of the more confident servants were able to sew or borrow fine dresses with the intent to capture the prince, but she herself knew that it was hopeless. Even though she had been able to keep her mother's fine necklace, she had no way of producing a dress fine enough not to be laughed out of the ballroom._

_But fate had a different plan in store for her. The night of the ball, the head cook pulled her aside, and began to speak in a fast whisper._

"_I'll manage fine without you tonight, but there is a present waiting for you in your little room. Make haste while the night is young."_

_Confused by the cryptic remark, the lavender cat ran to her little room, and pulled the curtain shut behind her. She looked at her modest bed and gasped, for lying across it was a breath-taking dress that was so pale, one would think that it had been woven from moonbeams. _

_Overcome with excitement, she put on the dress and brushed her glossy fur until it glowed. In a moment of weakness, she retrieved her mother's beloved necklace from its hiding place and clasped it around her slender neck. _

_Now she was the equal of any girl at the ball. On soft steps, she made her way through the empty corridors, and subtly slipped into the ballroom through one of the smaller entrances._

_The ballroom was alive with color, as dancers swept across the floor with beautiful grace. She couldn't help but stare, almost hypnotized by the lovely picture._

_Dimly, she heard someone behind her ask for a dance. She turned around and gasped, for it was her friend._

_But unlike the other times she had seen him, his clothes were the finest to be had, and there was a modest crown on his brow._

_The prince smiled warmly, though a little guiltily, and asked her again for a dance. But, she was so stunned by her friend's true identity that all thought failed her. Familiar with her little quirks, the prince decided to sweep her off her paws and guide her onto the dance floor._

_Despite her blank thoughts, the training of her youth gradually returned to her limbs, and she was able to dance quite well with her good friend._

_Under his breath, so that the others would not hear, the prince apologized for keeping this last terrible secret from her, for he had been afraid for months that she wouldn't like him as a person anymore if he told her of his true standing in court, and even before his feelings for her had gone too far, he had enjoyed having a friend that honestly liked him without thought to rank._

_It was he that had produced the gown she now danced in, and he who had told the head cook to pass along the cryptic message. His father had ordered him to find a bride at the ball, but in truth, he had already found her._

_Right there, in front of the entire court, the prince got down on one knee, took his beloved by the paw, and humbly asked for the privilege of becoming her husband, for he had never given thought to any other girl. _

_By now, her mind had returned to working, and a thousand different emotions flowed through her like a cyclone. But there was a dominant emotion to these, and that was love._

_To the prince, she said yes._

Haru looked at her captive audience with amusement, giggling a little. "That's the end of the story, by the way," she added.

Baron blinked, suddenly noticing that his lungs were on fire from lack of oxygen. He hit himself once on the chest to help the breathing process. "My, but you tell a good tale!" he finally managed to say.

Hashi grinned proudly, and slapped his sister's back affectionately. "That's my sis. You tell her a story, and she'll find a way to twist it to something new!"

"Wouldn't the girl have found out by then that he was the prince?" Thomas asked speculatively. "I mean, it's a little hard for them to be discreet."

"For the sake of arguments, let's say that the head cook had orders to specifically put her on tasks that would keep her away from the prince while he was being the prince," Haru offered. The young tomcat thought about the idea, but found nothing wrong with it.

Suddenly, Lily gasped. "How did it get so late?!"

Baron immediately cocked his head to the west, where the sun was slowly sinking behind the cattail grass. He chuckled a bit, and grudgingly got to his feet while gathering dishes. "Come along now. Time to head home." At least the basket would be lighter on the return trip.

Elly had fallen asleep halfway through the story, so Haru cradled her tenderly in her arms while taking soft strides, rather than waking the girl up.

As the Baron walked beside his nanny, and the children around them, he felt very content with how the day had been executed.

Like everything was the way that it should be.


	14. The Criminal

**Chapter Fourteen: The Criminal**

Baron tossed a few choice vegetables to Haru who caught them easily and passed them down the line of children until Elly threw them into the family basket. After paying the vendor, the tawny lord grabbed one end of the heavy basket, with Haru on the other end of it. Together, they picked it up and carried it back to the borderlands, the children clustered around them almost like a clutch of baby chicks.

The faint brush of fur that had began to grow on Haru withdrew into her skin as Hashi's ears lost their pointed edge and began to slowly move down the sides of his head, making him sigh in relief while feeling his face.

"Ah, that's better."

Thomas looked over at his best friend a little defensively. "Is there something wrong with being a cat?" he asked stiffly, making the dark human's steps falter a bit.

"No," Hashi added hastily. "I'm… just used to being a human, is all. I didn't mean any offense!"

"None taken," Baron said firmly, giving his son a stern look. "I'm certain that you feel the same way about turning into a full human, don't you Thomas?"

"Yes, Father," the tiger-like kitten said in an apologetic gesture, and let the matter drop.

Haru smiled softly, gripping her side of the basket carefully. This was the second time this month that she and her brother had made a trip to the Human Side of the borderlands, in order to lose the slowly approaching feline features. Hers were a bit harder to see than her brother's, thanks to the thick glasses that stopped just short of being a mask, but they were nonetheless present. With each interruption in the shape-shifting cycle, the land's strange spell seemed more and more determined to take her and her brother under its hold. She couldn't help but glumly wonder how soon it would be before she and her brother would have to start taking daily trips out of the borderlands in order to keep their true forms.

"Baron!" Toto shrieked about five minutes before the little group made it in sight of the house, flying at a frantic pace.

The feline lord stopped dead in his tracks, having only seen his feathered friend lose his composure on a small handful of times. "What's wrong?" he called up, setting the basket down on the soft grass.

The dark crow didn't even bother to land, hovering a few feet above the air. "It's Renaldo Moon! He's approaching your house, and I think he has a hostage!"

Baron's heart froze as Elly gasped in fear, but the feline lord didn't hesitate to jump onto Toto's back while he was still in the air. "Stay with the children!" he ordered Haru before the crow carried him away.

The human girl stared at him as the two slowly became smaller in the distance. "Who's Renaldo Moon?" she asked Elly.

ooOoo

Even when he was still a good distance from his house, Baron could see the enormous figure that made up the worst criminal in Cat History, a gigantic spot of cream gluttony with a speck of brown on one ear. And yes, he was carrying something in his paws that suspiciously looked like another cat.

"Let me handle this," he growled under his breath, expertly rolling off Toto's back, and flipping through the air effortlessly before perfectly landing squarely between the criminal and his family home on all fours.

"That's far enough, I think," Baron said coldly, taking a good look at the cat between the white one's paws.

She was a lovely peach-colored feline, but she was panting heavily, and her slightly frail arms were wrapped around a huge belly, which was moving around noticeably.

Renaldo Moon tensed up, his eyes full of fear, but his huge jaw was set with a self-sacrificing determination. "I'll surrender without a fight if you can get me a midwife," he said in a rush, his voice cracking with worry. "My wife's going into labor, and I don't know what to do to help her."

Baron's heart froze over, as he remembered the fateful day that he himself had more or less uttered those words. "How do I know it's not a trick?" he asked sternly.

The peachy cat screamed once and convulsed over her belly in the ridiculously fat white cat's arms. "These aren't false contractions!" she cried out, panting and crying in terrible pain.

Baron knew he shouldn't even consider giving in so easily, but the dormant memories of his own wife's cries wouldn't allow him to consider the matter further. He almost turned on his heel to call up to Toto. "Go to town! Find a midwife!"

"Don't bother!"

Both the lord and criminal turned, seeing the kittens and humans coming up at a dead run, the basket forgotten.

Baron growled irritably. "I thought I told you to watch the kittens, Haru."

The slim brunette marched right past him to inspect the weeping feline carefully. Baron's mind missed a click, shocked that his usually mild-mannered nanny was ignoring him.

That was _completely_ uncalled for.

"Her time's close. Bring her inside immediately," the slim brunette ordered like a drill sergeant.

"What about a midwife?!" Renaldo yelled as the human started pulling on his chubby arm.

"I _am_ a midwife, you dunce! Now are you going to let me help her or not?!" Haru yelled at him before looking over her shoulder. "Hashi, go get my bag."

"On it," he cried while throwing himself through the door, leaving it open behind him so that Haru could drag the father-to-be into the house.

Baron's children rushed past him as he stood as still as a statue. "She's a _midwife_?" he asked himself before following his children into their home.

Haru had led the criminal to a small bedroom on the ground floor, and had him gently ease his wife onto the clean sheets of the bed. The kittens had gathered outside at the door, but then broke fearfully away as Haru firmly pushed the expectant father out the door.

"I'll let you know when it's over. Hashi, have you found the bag yet?!"

"Here it is!" the dark brother answered, jumping off the staircase and coming down at a dead run. With a practiced flair, he swung the brown bag his sister had been carrying for years at her, and she snatched it out of the air with ease.

"Keep him busy," she ordered before nearly slamming the door shut.

Purposefully, Hashi marched up to the door, and stood guard in front of it, his arms outstretched like a barricade. "So, what would you like to do?" the boy asked pleasantly. "Pace the floor, chop firewood, wax the ballroom floor…"

The last suggestion to fall from the human's lips had sounded pretty hopeful. The fat white and brown cat grunted once, and started nervously stalking the hallway on all fours, sharply turning around when the hallway came to a turn. Baron's children had gathered around his legs fearfully, trembling slightly with fear.

As the feline lord wrapped his arms around his beloved children, his eyes followed the swiftly moving villain, who strangely resembled a bulldozing train in his nervous condition.

His own heartbeat began to increase; remembering the day his kittens had been born like it was yesterday.

"Daddy, how long is this going to take?" Elly whispered, clinging to her father's leg.

Baron sighed, and patted her head. "No telling. Perhaps ten minutes, perhaps until tomorrow morning."

"I hope not," Renaldo prayed worriedly, his face taking on a slightly greenish cast.

"I doubt it's going to take that long," Hashi disagreed. "Three hours, tops, with how her belly was moving."

Baron turned to the human boy, a slight suspicion in his heart. "Since when has your sister been a midwife?"

Hashi shrugged. "I can't remember that far back. Mother was one, and sometimes needed help, so Haru was her helper for a few years before she started delivering babies by herself."

"She'll be able to help my wife, right?" Renaldo begged, his eyes filled with a vast pleading.

Hashi nodded confidently. "Trust me. My sister is a great midwife. Your wife will be just fine."

The large brown cat sighed with relief, actual tears squeezing past his guard. "We've been so scared, ever since we found out kittens were coming, that we'd be on our own for this, too." He looked over at the orange and cream cat, making his children flinch back a bit. "You'll let me hold my kittens just one time, right? Before you take me to the castle for judgment?"

"Of course," Baron said, his own feelings uneasy. Despite this cat's fearsome reputation, he didn't truly seem like a villain.

Perhaps it was just the approach of fatherhood. Still, Baron couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was off about the white and brown cat, as he resumed his thoughtful pacing.

ooOoo

An hour after the screams had subsided, the legendary criminal groaned angrily. "I can't take it anymore!" He ran for the door, which was still being protected by the small human boy.

Baron stood up sharply from his cluster of dozing children, but he needn't have bothered.

Just as Renaldo was about to brush Hashi aside, the lad stepped to the side while grabbing the paw that had been thrown at him. Using the momentum that the fat cat had used to try bulldozing the door down, the boy threw him to the opposite side of the hallway that he had been running down.

Renaldo stumbled over his paws, turning around in astonishment.

Hashi had resumed his former position over the door, his smile slightly naughty. "Are you sure you don't want to chop firewood for a while? It'll help take your mind off things."

The cream-colored cat darkened angrily, and stomped up to the human boy again. "You can't keep me-" he started saying, but then was cut off as the door opened behind the boy.

Haru appeared, her smile a little tired. The front of her blue-grey dress was splattered with blood. "Hashi, go make Mother's special tea. Sasami will need at least one cup of it before I let her go to sleep."

The boy nodded once and ran off on his errand.

The human girl looked up at the new father, and smiled warmly. "Why don't you come in and meet the little ones?"

Renaldo bit back a cry of relief, running into the room as Haru stepped out of it, so that he wouldn't bulldoze her. Baron walked up behind her, and put one hand on her slim shoulder.

"They're fine?" he asked worriedly.

The bespectacled brunette turned to her employer… and nodded. "Two healthy beautiful daughters, and the mother's just fine. We better give them a moment. New parents always want a few moments alone after a birthing."

"I know," Baron said, pondering something. "Haru, you didn't happen to hear the deal I made with Renaldo Moon, did you?"

"No. I just heard you call out for a midwife, so I stepped up. To be honest with you, Baron, I didn't really care what kind of deal you might have made. I was going to help Sasami, even if you ended up firing me for it."

The very thought made Baron's heart stop cold, possibly colder than when he had realized that she was purposefully ignoring him.

"I'm not going to fire you, Haru. _Ever_."

It wasn't until the brunette's mouth slowly drew open in shock that Baron realized that he had unintentionally said the thought out loud.


	15. The Truth

**Chapter Fifteen: The Truth**

Before Haru was forced to say anything in response to that unexpected declaration from her employer, Elly woke up from between her siblings, and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Are the kittens born yet?" she mumbled.

Grateful for the distraction, the slim brunette smiled and walked over in order to hug the adorable white kitten, but then stopped at the last second, remembering that the blood on her was still fresh.

The human settled for scratching Elly's soft velvety ears affectionately, since she had managed to wash her hands while cleaning off the newborns. "They are. But it really is kind of late, why don't we move you three upstairs for bed?"

"Can we see the kittens first?" Lily moaned as sleep grudgingly left. Haru looked over at Baron, who was still looking at her.

"Why not?" he said in response to her unspoken question.

The bespectacled woman smiled a bit, and walked over to the half-open door as Elly shook her brother awake.

Haru still didn't really believe that the fatso was a criminal, especially with how tears were streaming down his face as he nuzzled one of his daughters lovingly, one that was a slightly darker peach shade than her mother, who was weeping happily over her eldest daughter, who had a soft white coat of fur.

"Baron's kittens would like to see yours," the nanny said softly. "Do you mind?"

"No, of course not," Sasami said breathlessly, her eyes still streaming happily.

Haru turned enough to gesture for the von Gikkingen children to come in. "Remember to stay quiet," she said in a soft voice, gently pushing Thomas into the room as Baron followed behind them, as silent as a ghost.

The mother smiled encouragingly at the half-grown kittens, and held the newborn in her arms at a better angle. "Isn't she beautiful?" Sasami whispered reverently as Elly leaned in for a closer look.

"Why won't her eyes stay open?" the white kitten asked curiously.

The devoted nanny laughed twice. "Newborns of any species have trouble keeping their eyes open at first, Elly. She'll get better at keeping her eyes open after a few days."

Sasami nodded tiredly as Thomas nervously looked toward the new father, but took a breath for courage before approaching the legendary figure, and standing as tall as he could in order to look at the kitten. Renaldo got the hint and sat on his haunches so that the tiger-like kitten could get a better look at the newborn.

Thomas gravely studied the newborn, a soft smile slowly working its way onto his mouth. "What are their names?" he asked politely. Renaldo snapped violently, his mouth open with horror.

"I… we never talked about names. We were too worried about Sasami's life." He looked over at his wife, wondering if she had any ideas.

The slim peach-colored cat gave a single laugh, and looked at the human that was responsible not only for the kittens' delivery, but the chance she had gained to raise them personally. "You said earlier that your name's Haru?"

The midwife nodded, making the new mother beam happily one more time, and kiss her darker daughter.

"Then this is Haruka."

Catching the reference, Renaldo smiled and kissed his lighter daughter's face. "And this is Haruna."

Haru blushed deeply from behind the thick glasses, but bowed in recognition before taking the von Gikkingen girls by the shoulders and gently pushing them out the door, but not before Hashi weaseled his way past Baron's elbow with a full teapot and cup in his arms. Carefully, he set the crockery on the little table next to the bed and filled the teacup with the fragrant brew.

"Drink it up," he softly ordered, taking the dark kitten from her mother so that Sasami could safely sip from the offered cup.

She coughed once, when the brew had been consumed, but then immediately settled back onto the pillows, still smiling beautifully. "I love you, Renaldo," she whispered, making her husband walk over and kiss her happily after tucking his kitten into the nest of blankets that Haru quickly made on the opposite side of the bed, in order to keep the newborns safe as they slept.

"I love you too, Sasami. Sleep well." In sharp contrast to his extraordinary bulk, the fat cat moved on soft feet, closing the door behind him as the humans and other felines pooled into the hallway.

"All right, you four," Haru said sternly, gently guiding the children to the stairs. "Time for bed."

Lily opened her mouth to protest, but only a yawn issued forth from her throat. Elly managed to wiggle out of her nanny's grip, but only to hug her father goodnight. He kissed each of them, including Hashi, surprisingly, before allowing their devoted keeper to herd them up the stairs, and out of sight.

When Baron turned around to face the fat feline, the white and brown cat was looking up at the staircase as well.

"That's quite a wife you have there," Renaldo remarked, making the feline lord choke a bit and slam one fist into his chest.

Underneath his orange and cream fur, his temperature took an alarming rise as a rebellious blush broke over his cheeks. "She's my _nanny_, for your information!"

The fat cat gaped as a rosy blush crossed his face. "Uh, sorry. You two just looked like a couple to me."

"Well, we're not," Baron snapped before coming to his senses. He covered his face with one hand, and sighed tiredly. "I apologize. It's been a long day."

Renaldo nodded a bit, but there was still something unreadable in his gaze, and a strange smirk was on his face. "Ah, forget about it. Well, what are you gonna do with me, now that my wife's been taken care of?"

Baron looked at the huge criminal carefully. He had heard much about this cat, the two and a half years since his great crime. His appearance was precisely on the mark, but the willingness to surrender the rest of his life, just to provide one last comfort for his obviously beloved wife made the tawny lord think…

"Follow me," he said curtly before turning on his heel to start striding briskly to the kitchen. His large ears told him that the criminal was following, but at a slightly slower pace.

Sharply opening the door, Baron hung his top hat, coat, and cane on the back of one chair, and gestured for Renaldo to sit in another one.

The fat cat did so nervously as the tawny feline put some more water to boil in a tea kettle, and opened up his special herbs cabinet. "What are ya doin'?" Renaldo asked suspiciously as Baron started carefully measuring herbs and spices into the slowly boiling pot.

"I'm making tea for you."

The fat cat started gagging. "I'll pass, thanks. I've never liked tea all that much."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist that you drink it," Baron said firmly, looking at his pocket watch intently to ensure that his special brew wouldn't boil for too long. "It's a truth potion, and I have many questions."

"I'll tell ya everything without the tea," Renaldo protested, wrinkling his nose at the obnoxious smell.

Baron calmly answered as he poured the tea into a carefully measured amount. "I'm more than certain that you would, but I need to be absolutely sure that you're telling me the truth. Remember, you surrendered willingly." Grimly, the orange and cream cat held the steaming cup out to the chocolate and vanilla one.

Pulling a face of absolute disgust, Renaldo grudgingly took the cup, and downed it all in one gulp so that he couldn't taste it as much. "Blech! That tastes even worse than I remember!"

"I'm sorry to hear that," Baron said calmly, sitting across from the criminal, and resting his chin in one hand. "Why don't you tell me why you despise tea?"

Renaldo made an even darker face. "My ma thought that tea was the answer to every problem, including me. She thought that if she could pour enough boiled grass into me, it'd make me lose weight and be a more optimistic son. That's the major reason I ran away from home, all those years ago. I haven't regretted not seeing Ma since then, because she had always been ashamed of me anyway."

Baron cocked his head. "I was under the impression that your impressive girth was the result of your little fiasco with the fish."

Renaldo laughed darkly. "Not a chance. I was practically born fat, and I love food. Sasami's the only person I've ever met that was willing to take me the way I am, without ever planning to change a single hair of me. That feline's the best thing that's ever happened to me." The white and brown cat's voice turned reverently soft, as he thought about the love of his life.

"Wives are supposed to be that way. Now, why don't you tell me just what happened with the fish incident that has made such a name for you?" Baron prodded.

Renaldo gave an exasperated growl before throwing his paws up in the air. "It was completely blown out of proportion! Here's the real story, I was traveling around, looking for work, when I met Sasami. Her father's a minor nobleman, but I didn't realize that until after I had visited a few times with her. Well, despite the fact that we loved each other, her father wouldn't hear of having a vagabond like me for a son-in-law. He said I had to come up with two hundred gold pieces before he would even consider me to be a possible match for his daughter. Now, I thought that was awfully conceited of him, but to prove that my love for Sasami was genuine; I took a job as a personal bodyguard to Jali. I'm pretty sure that you've heard of him."

Baron's eyes slit dangerously. "I have indeed. Please continue."

"Well, being a bodyguard paid pretty good, especially since I look so intimidating and everything and I carefully saved every penny that I could. That time in my life was probably the thinnest that I had ever been. Well, after a time, I got the money, but then I wanted a little more so that I could get a nice house for Sasami, since she deserved better than the barracks I had been sleeping in with the other guards, so I kept working. Eventually, Jali decided that he needed a lot of fish for his engagement banquet to his fifth bride, but he didn't feel like actually paying for it. So, what he did was have most of his servants go down to the docks at midnight, knock out the guards, and catch as much fish as they could carry away. At ten wagons' worth, I thought it was plenty. At twenty, I thought it was overgenerous. But, then when the seventieth wagon passed by, I made the mistake of saying that it was probably more than enough. Next thing I know, I'm out cold.

"When I woke up with a splitting headache, it was morning, and other cats were beginning to move around the town. There was a half-eaten trout in my paws, but I didn't think much of it at the time. I decided that if that's the way Jali was gonna take it, then I didn't really need to work for him anymore. So I went to my special hiding place, took out the two hundred gold pieces, and went to Sasami's father. He took my gold readily enough, but then said that he'd _consider _it."

The fat cream cat raised one paw to slam it down on the table in absolute rage, but then remembered at the last second that it wasn't his table to break. He lowered his arm with an angry grunt. "Sasami was outraged too. She said that by his own words, I only needed to come up with the money and that since he took it, he should let us get married. But he wouldn't. He was a greedy old fool, and said that if I _really _wanted to marry his daughter, I'd have to come up with twice as much money inside a month. It took me two _years_ to make that much money! Unless I hit a bank or something, there was no way in heck that I would be able to make the deadline." His face softened noticeably, remembering the next part.

"But Sasami wouldn't have it. Not even someone with _your _ranking would ask for two hundred gold pieces for a bride price alone, and her father was mad with greed. She eloped with me that very night, and we've been on the run ever since. After a week with almost no luck, one of the fishercats remembered someone with my fat body sleeping on the docks with a half-eaten fish. I'm pretty dang sure that Jali helped fuel the rumors that I had eaten all the fish in the sea, to hide his own guilt. You can believe whatever you want, Baron, but no matter what happens to me, _I'll_ always know that I'm relatively innocent."

The tawny cat's eyes had become rounded with disbelief. But he knew better than anyone that his truth tea never failed. "What a predicament," he whispered, leaning back in his chair, distractedly studying the ceiling tiles. What on earth could he possibly do about a situation like this? There was no way on earth that he would feed an innocent to the blood-thirsty mobs, but with how he was so publicly watched, it would only be a matter of time before a nosy pair of eyes told both worlds that he had assisted the most notorious criminal in Cat History.

"Why don't you find a bed and sleep a bit, Renaldo? Maybe I'll know what to do in the morning."

The brown and white cat nodded his thanks, and got up from the significantly lower chair, which had almost been crushed by his weight. But then he scowled again. "Hey, how do I get this bad taste out of my mouth?"

"Take three glasses of water," Baron said, wondering just how on earth he was going to help this client, for there was now no doubt in his mind that this would be one of his most difficult cases to solve.


	16. The Solution

**Chapter Sixteen: The Solution**

Haru poured pitcher after pitcher of water into a large pot, and started heating it up after adding the impressive amount of rice. "How's the tea coming, Hashi?" she asked over her shoulder.

The boy frowned a bit, staring into the pot angrily. "It's still refusing to boil," he muttered mutinously. "Why can't kitchen appliances just work for me the way they do for you?!"

"You just have to be patient, brother dearest," the bespectacled brunette said sweetly before the door threw open behind her. She turned around, more than a little stunned to see Baron stumble into the kitchen, and almost collapse into one of the chairs, looking like he hadn't slept a wink all night. She looked over at the clock, confused that her employer was up so early.

"I'm guessing you couldn't sleep, Baron?"

"You guessed right," he groaned, burying his face into his hands. "I just don't know how I could begin to fix this."

Sensing his inner turmoil, Haru walked away from the rapidly heating pot, and sat across from the feline lord. "Why don't you tell me what's bothering you?" she asked. "Maybe I can help."

He chuckled darkly. "All right. Haru, let's say that you're holding a convicted felon under your roof, one which you happen to know for a fact is completely innocent. Now let's say that you're in a high position, where people of all ranks are all staring at you, just waiting for you to make one false move, and then they find out about the felon. There's no way I can sentence Renaldo and Sasami to go back to that cold outside world, especially with autumn setting in and those kittens to worry about. I don't know how I can help them and not condemn my own family."

Haru blinked twice, although Baron couldn't see it, and smiled gently at the orange and cream cat. "Oh… okay. Let's say that I have an innocent felon under my roof that I want to protect while protecting myself. I would take a good look at that person, and try to notice just what it is that makes that person stand out the most. Then I change it."

Baron stared at her. "I'm not quite sure that I follow you, Haru."

"Take Renaldo, for instance. It would take months, maybe years, to slim him down, and we're not all that certain that it would stick when we were done, right?"

Baron nodded once.

"So, we go for the next best thing. I'd dye his fur to a different shade, probably darker so that it wouldn't show as much, and change his name to 'Muta' or something like that. Also, what talents does he have besides eating?"

"He used to be a bodyguard," Baron said carefully, amazed at the simplicity of her little scheme.

"Perfect. If anyone asks, tell them that he's new muscle that you hired, because you felt compassion for his growing family. You're well-known for your charitable deeds, so no one would even bat an eyelash over his presence here. It wouldn't hurt to dye Sasami's fur either, and maybe change her name to 'Tsunami'. It's similar enough to make her automatically jump when people speak the name around her, and no one knows about the kittens, do they?"

"No," Baron said breathlessly, thinking about the possibilities. "We'd have to dye the kittens a different shade as well, just to be on the safe side."

Sniffing burning rice, Haru jumped out of her seat to rescue breakfast. She stirred quickly, mentally calculating that she had been two seconds too late. Ah well, that was what spices were for. She pushed her glasses back up her nose, so that she could focus on her task better as she looked for the small jars she wanted. "Yeah, it would be a good idea to dye them as well. You would be shocked and amazed at what the simplest changes of appearance can do to conceal one's true identity."

Without warning, a pair of extraordinarily strong arms wrapped around her from behind and squeezed. Haru gasped softly as Baron hugged her warmly, a soft purr echoing into her ear.

"You truly are a treasure, did you know that, Haru?" he whispered softly.

The bespectacled brunette blushed heavily, since she had not been embraced by a male besides her brother since before they had been orphaned. Not to mention the fact that she was _almost_ willing to admit to herself that she was enjoying it.

But, for the five precious seconds that Baron held her, Haru felt something she hadn't felt in the longest time.

She felt completely safe, and secure. Maybe even a little happy.

"Th-thanks, Baron," she stammered, like she was too clumsy to even keep a grip on her own tongue.

The tawny lord gave the human girl one more fond squeeze before leaving the kitchen to find Renaldo and propose her idea to him.

Hashi stared at his big sister, who seemed to be frozen in place. Slowly, she reached up, and touched the part of her arm that had been cupped in Baron's strong, yet surprisingly gentle hand. Her heartbeat seemed to run faster, so much faster than it ever had before, even when she was still-

"Haru?" Her beloved little brother had wrapped his arms around her waist, and he was looking up at her face with concern.

She managed a smile, and gave him a bear hug that left him gasping. "I'm fine, Hashi, but I think that your tea's finally boiling."

The boy gave a courteous glance at the steaming teapot, but then looked at his sister again. "Your whiskers are back," he said pointedly. "So are the ears."

Haru stiffened, and reached up with one hand. Her cat ears felt so strange to her, like pieces of velvet that she could feel with. Her glasses were tilted at an almost dangerous angle, since the parts that wrapped around her ears had traveled up with the cat ears. One of her ears flicked towards the door, recognizing the pitter-patter of tiny von Gikkingen feet as they ran down the stairs for breakfast.

"Thanks, Hashi. I'll take another visit to the Human Side today to fix this."

The tiny boy didn't answer, but his own thoughts were calm, and calculating as he took the tea off the stove. _'Not even her ex-fiancé would hold her like that, when he still claimed to love her.'_

ooOoo

Renaldo exchanged looks of astonishment with his wife, as she nursed her children from underneath the thick quilt. "You'd really do that, Baron?" the fat white and brown cat asked wistfully. "You'd give us a home in exchange for my help?"

"Yes," the tawny lord said firmly, gazing at the new mother. "You will need to keep Sasami quiet for a few more days to regain her strength anyway, and where would she be able to do that, better than here?"

With tears of gratitude, Renaldo Moon bowed low before the Baron von Gikkingen. "I will follow you until the end of my days," he choked out over his tears. "A change of names and fur is a small price to pay to provide a good life for my family."

"Don't forget Haru," his wife said pointedly, putting one baby over her shoulder like the nanny had shown her to, in order to burp her child. "It _was _her idea, after all. I _knew _I liked that girl!" she exulted as Haruna burped, almost like an agreement.

Baron smiled warmly, making the mental note to start asking advice from Haru more often. Who knew she was this good at being sneaky?


	17. The Proclamation

**Chapter Seventeen: The Proclamation**

_The world was made of mists, and Baron was lost in the middle of it. He gripped his cane for comfort, and tried to find his way through the chilling fog._

"_Baron," a soft voice called out to him, one that the feline lord knew better than his own. _

_His heart leapt into his throat, and his pace increased. "Louise?" he called out, one hand prodding the darkness in front of him. "Where are you?"_

"_Baron," the voice of his wife sobbed. "Time is running out, my love. The more you delay, the harder your task will become. Oh, Baron... Baron…"_

"Baron?!"

The tawny feline's eyes shot open as he almost jumped out of his bed again, one heart to his chest.

There was an insistent knocking at the door. "Baron?! Are you awake?"

He sighed, and pulled the covers off. "Yes, Haru. Is something wrong?"

"I don't know, but Prince Lune is downstairs in the library. He's panicking over something, and says that he absolutely _must _talk to you as soon as possible."

His heart froze just before he briskly walked to the wardrobe in the corner. The Cat Prince wasn't one to lose his demeanor over something minimal. Did his father do something again?

"Tell him I'll be right down."

ooOoo

Haru poked her head into the library, making the prince of the Cat Kingdom's stride falter a bit. "He's coming, Highness."

"Thank you, Haru," the feline royal said, completely relieved. "But could you forget about the highnesses? I get enough of that at the palace."

The housekeeper nodded a bit before retreating. Without the welcome distraction that the girl provided him with, Lune resumed his pacing around the various chairs and globes scattered around the library. Baron's collection of books couldn't hold a candle to the one in the royal palace, but for some reason, the dark grey feline had always felt more comfortable in his oldest friend's library.

Or at least he usually did. The prince groaned again, wondering how he had let this get so out of hand.

The door opened, making Lune break off his silent reverie to watch the orange and cream feline quickly stroll in and shut the door behind him.

"What's this about, Lune?" Baron asked curiously as the prince approached his good friend and bowed low.

"I am in huge trouble," he moaned. "Father's arranging a ball in honor of my birthday next month."

Baron cocked his head. "Doesn't he usually do that?"

The prince nodded glumly. "But _this _time, he's inviting every eligible girl in the kingdom!"

The feline lord looked at his usually calm friend, and smiled a little mischievously. "Surely you knew this was coming, Lune. You _are _the Prince, after all, and a Prince needs a Princess."

"I know!" Lune shouted, collapsing into a high back chair. "I… just thought that I had more time to work with."

"Well, it appears that you don't," Baron said pointedly, resting an elbow on the back of the chair. "So, do you have any idea about just which one you're going to choose, and how?"

Lune bit his lip nervously. "To be perfectly honest, Baron… I've already chosen her."

Baron cocked his head again. "I see. Well, then why are you flying off the handle so?"

"Because… she's not someone Father would approve of. She's a servant in the palace."

With a start, Baron remembered the strange version of 'Cinderella' Haru had told the children a few months before. "Ah. What's her name?"

"Yuki," the prince breathed dreamily. "She was kind of living on the streets when I met her, and I couldn't just walk away in good conscience, so I got her a job at the palace-"

"And you've been keeping in touch since then," Baron finished, hardly believing that the story was real. "She knows you're the prince, right?"

Lune snorted. "It'd be a little hard for her _not _to know, since she serves my meals whenever I'm still home."

Over the prince's shoulder, Baron could see Muta running across the grass, now sporting a dark brown coat of fur, the same shade as his ear spot had been before he dyed his fur. He was standing on his hind feet, and putting up his front paws like fists as Toto once again swooped down and knocked him over. While the fatso was still rolling along the ground like a fur-covered ball, the feline lord could see his nanny run up between the new muscle and crow, holding her arms out like a referee. She was shouting something, but to the orange and cream cat, it couldn't be sure if the nanny was scolding them or shouting the new score.

Grinning, Baron walked over and opened the window. "Haru! Would you mind coming into the library right now?!"

She looked up at him, a trace of confusion clear on her lips. "Be right up!" the brunette shouted back at him, running into the house immediately, making her employer chuckle a bit as he withdrew and shut the window.

"Uh, she's a great girl and everything," Lune said nervously. "But why did you call her?"

Baron grinned confidently as he took a seat. "This situation calls for a woman's touch, and I know we can trust Haru to be discreet."

A few minutes later, the housekeeper let herself through the solid oak door, and shut it behind her, her mouth still wrinkled in confusion as she panted slightly from the excursion. "Is something wrong?" she asked politely as the two men stood up respectfully.

Baron grinned at her again. "Do you recall the tale you told the children, the day of the picnic?"

Haru nodded, but then looked sharply at the prince. Slowly, a wicked smile crossed her lips as she politely pointed at the dark grey cat. "Would he happen to want to bring the tale to life?"

"He's already started," Baron reported with a grin.

Haru's lips broke out into an even wider smile as she sat in a different chair, and leaned forward expectantly. "How may I be of service?"

ooOoo

The bespectacled brunette had one hand on the rough branch that was supporting her, and the other on the equally rough trunk of the tree she was hiding in. Just above her, Baron was on another branch, his own eyes scanning the castle gardens.

"Come now," he muttered under his breath. "He said she'd be out here around this time."

"There," his housekeeper said softly, pointing at the large fountain, where a sizable group of the servants were washing and mending laundry for the big ball. Baron squinted, searching more carefully.

There. The pink ribbon that the Cat Prince had mentioned was wrapped around the neck of a charming white cat with troubled blue eyes as she hurriedly carried away yet another basket of wet clothes to the maids setting up clotheslines, so that the fresh breeze could help dry off the fine ball gowns and bed sheets.

"She's lovely," Haru commented, carefully memorizing the maid's appearance for later reference.

Baron nodded, a little disturbed by how much this Yuki reminded him of his Louise. He sighed, and hopped out of the tree. "Now for the tricky part: finding out just what her dress size might be."

"She's a four," Haru said confidently as she prepared to jump off the tree as well. But, an unseen branch tripped her up as she tried to get off, sending her to the ground and making her yelp with surprise.

Baron didn't even think about it. He took three steps forward, and caught the girl in his arms, almost effortlessly. He had to bite back a chuckle, seeing his housekeeper turn a bright red shade underneath her glasses. "Please be careful, Haru. I'd hate to lose you."

She nodded, turning an even darker shade of red. "S-sorry about that. It's just… been a while since I've climbed a tree."

He laughed at her again, and turned away from the soft green branches to start heading home. "I'm certain that the knowledge will come back to you with more practice. Just out of curiosity, what makes you so certain that Miss Yuki's a size four?"

The blushing brunette bit her lip nervously. "I worked for a seamstress for five months last year. Children are hard to measure, since they like to move around so much, so I taught myself how to make accurate guesses concerning body measurements. I'll bet this month's pay that she's a size four."

Baron laughed again, walking over yet another hill. "No need for that, Haru. I'll take your word for it, but is there any profession you _haven't _dabbled in at some point in your life?"

Haru had to think carefully about this, but it was a little hard for her to think straight when she was wrapped up in a man's arms, the way she currently was. "Well, I've never gone deep-sea diving, I've never fought a shark, and I can't fly. But I figured out the secret! All you have to do is miss the ground."

Baron stared at her again, and began laughing again, but this time, he didn't hold back. "Oh my! Toto _must _hear that one!"

"Well, it's close isn't it?" she asked in a slightly sullen voice, watching a group of half-grown noble felines join a rabbit hunt over one of Baron's broad shoulders.

"Actually, it's surprisingly accurate, but that's why it's so funny." Without thinking, he hugged the girl again, making her face turn crimson again.

"Uh, Baron?"

"Yes?"

"The tree was back there."

He opened one eye to look at her curiously. "Yes, I'm aware of that."

A few seconds passed.

"Um, do you think you can put me down now? I'm pretty sure I can walk the rest of the way home."

He blinked, and turned a bright red underneath his gold and ivory fur as he hurriedly set the human girl on her feet. "My apologies, Haru. I guess my mind slipped."

But if that was so, why did he feel like he had been cheated out of something special?


	18. The Problem

**Chapter Eighteen: The Problem**

Haru carefully looked over what Miss Gachi had created, inspecting it from every angle. The dress between her hands was of the softest light blue silk, and even had seed pearls embroidered into the neckline. It was simple, but with a certain elegance that could easily turn heads.

"It's almost perfect," the brunette assured the anxious apprentice before handing the periwinkle fantasy back. "If you take in the shoulders a half-inch, then it will fit perfectly."

"I'll do it," the grey feline promised, taking up her needle once again. "It will look wonderful on you."

Haru choked a bit as Tsunami laughed a deep vibrant laugh. Her new glossy black coat helped bring out the almost-magical sparkle in her dark blue eyes.

"It's a gift for a friend," the dark feline informed the lighter one, making the apprentice blush in embarrassment.

"My apologies," she whispered, almost about ready to cry.

Haru had to laugh a bit, and pat the apprentice on the shoulder. "It was an honest mistake, no harm done."

The light cat gave a grateful smile before turning back to her meticulous work.

"She's got a point, though," Tsunami said, rocking a dark-furred Haruna in one arm as Haru cuddled a tan-colored Haruka.

"About what?" the brunette human asked curiously.

"A dress like that _would _look good on you, especially if you took off those glasses."

Haru's hand automatically flew to her face, like she feared that the corrective lenses would fly off her face. "Oh no you don't. I like sight too much to give it up. Besides, I'm never going to wear something like that," she said, gesturing to the lovely dress draped over Miss Gachi's knees. "It's a little fancy for me. But you used to dress up all the time, didn't you?"

Tsunami sighed, thinking about the days before she had met her husband. "Yes, but you know that I gave that life up willingly. My babies are worth more than fancy dresses, but that's no reason why you can't dress in something lovely like that."

"I can't afford it," Haru insisted, making her feline friend snort indelicately.

"Even if you couldn't, with the way you save every copper penny Baron pays you, you could probably make something like that yourself."

"I don't have the time or the desire, Tsunami. I'm a peasant girl, in case you haven't noticed, and… it would just be too ridiculous to own a dress that I _might_ wear once or twice in my life. I'm too practical for such things."

"It doesn't have to be fancy, just something nice for when a suitor wants to go for a walk or something."

Haru's bottom lip tightened terribly, almost enough that Tsunami could count her human friend's teeth through the flesh. The brunette's hands became tightened fists, and started shaking slightly.

"You're not the only one with a past life, Tsunami," Haru whispered. "Any and all possible suitors, at least for me, are a part of that past, and will never come back. Thanks for the concern, but my regular dresses are more than suited to my current and future lifestyle." She stood up in order to take the finished dress from Miss Gachi, and pay her the money Baron had given her for Yuki's dress.

The black cat cradled her dark daughter, slightly amused but mostly sad. _'She __**still **__hasn't figured it out yet, has she? I wonder if __**he**__ has, yet.'_

ooOoo

Baron looked again at the invitation that the Cat King had personally handed him, certain that there had been a misprint. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, I don't think that I'll be escorting a young lady to the event."

The scruffy grey longhair growled from behind his mountain of paperwork as he signed a few more royal proclamations. The purple gem of an eye that served him for a crown seemed just as angry and distracted as his real ones. "Baron, if you're coming to my son's birthday ball, then you have to bring a date. At least half of the kingdom must have heard that proclamation by now, and I can't make exceptions. Sorry, babe, but rules are rules, and this is too important of a function for you to skip out on."

"But-" the feline lord tried to protest, but a flick of the king's paw declared him dismissed. Almost on cue, Natori came up, and pulled gently on the Baron's sleeve. Since the advisor had the king's ear, the orange and cream cat followed the dusty grey one out one of the curtains, and into the hallway.

"You'll have to forgive his majesty," Natori whispered, looking around like he was afraid that someone would see him. "The old berserker blood is beginning to show in him, and you know what that does."

Baron twitched, and sighed. "Yes, my father said I might have to deal with that problem. But still, is it really necessary for me to bring a lady friend?"

Natori sighed, and looked at his clipboard. "By every definition, you _are _a bachelor, and you're attending the ball. I'm afraid that there's no way around it, Baron, and I know you wouldn't miss this occasion for the world."

"I _did _promise the prince I would attend," the orange and cream feline said glumly, feeling like a terrible traitor to his wife's memory.

"Don't feel so bad, Baron. I'm more than certain that any number of girls would consent to come to the ball with you. Your close friendship with the prince is hardly a secret, and you're considered to be quite a prize yourself."

Baron sighed tiredly at the old news, and nodded thankfully. "Thank you, Natori. I'll see what I can find."

As he turned from the advisor to head back home, a certain red cat appeared around a corner, almost on cue.

Sai fluttered a yellow fan close to her face, a strange smirk on her face. "Would you happen to have a problem, Baron?" she murmured softly, although her dark eyes were grimly smug.

Baron's temper flared as he curtly tipped his hat in acknowledgement and walked past her at a brisk pace. "Nothing I can't handle."

ooOoo

Muta and Tsunami looked up as Baron opened the kitchen door to his home, and all but collapse in one of the chairs at the table.

"What's eating _you_?" the fat brown cat asked softly, so that Haruka and Haruna wouldn't awaken from their nap so that the proud parents could have a peaceful meal.

Baron sighed softly, burying his head between his hands. "The Cat King's made a proclamation that all bachelors attending Lune's ball have to accompany an eligible young lady, so that the prince can have as wide a selection as possible."

"But isn't he choosing that Yuki girl?"

"Yes, but the king isn't aware of that, and I'm not about to spoil the surprise. What a mess…"

While Baron's head was still lowered to the table, the couple across from him exchanged exasperated looks. In unison, they raised the paws that weren't cradling their children, and shook the paws three times. At the last shake, Muta's paw came down as flat as paper while his wife's paw was rounded like a rock.

Grinning triumphantly, the husband turned to his employer, and made a carefully-contrived skeptical face. "Well, why don't you take Haru?" Muta asked casually.

Baron looked up, confused. "Haru?"

"Sure, why not? I mean, you _were _planning on taking her anyway, so that she could do her thing with Yuki, right?" the fat brown cat asked confidently.

"Yes…"

"So just keep her around for the party. She works herself to death for you, so she deserves to have a break every now and again, right?"

"Yes," Baron said softly, although he had never heard the brunette complain. "I'm not sure if royal balls are her style, but I guess it couldn't hurt to ask." He got out of his chair. "Where is she?"

"Outside with Hashi, watering your plants in one of the greenhouses, but I'm not sure which one."

Baron nodded gratefully at the black feline, and walked out the door.

A few seconds after the door was shut, husband and wife once again turned to each other.

"They _can't _possibly be this dense," Muta groaned, rubbing one paw to his forehead to combat a headache. "I mean, it's fairly obvious what's going on between them."

His wife smiled a bit sadly. "I think they're both scared of the possibility, but I'm pretty sure that they'll come around soon enough."

"Probably by next Christmas, at this rate," the large white cat grunted.

"Don't be silly. _This _Christmas."

Muta looked at Tsunami suspiciously. "What makes ya so sure?"

His dark wife smiled wickedly, and rocked Haruna lovingly. "Call it a hunch."

"Oh? How much are you willing to bet, Chicky?" Muta taunted.

"Two months of solitary diaper duty," his wife answered confidently.

The fat cat shuddered, but a familiar gleam was back in his eye. "All right, but anytime past Christmas, I win."

Tsunami smiled mysteriously again, and kissed her sleeping daughter's forehead. "Done."


	19. The Request

It's my birthday, so I'm updating early. Go ahead and pout.

No? All right then. Enjoy the updates.

**Chapter Nineteen: The Request**

"Hashi, can you get some more water?" Haru asked, passing back an empty watering can while taking the full one that her dear brother gave her.

The human boy turned on his heel, and ran out of the beautiful greenhouse made of tinted glass to the stone well thirty paces from it. He carefully moved the bucket into the well, and then dropped it, allowing the bucket to soar downwards until making a faintly audible 'splash'.

The dark lad moved to the handle at the side of the well, and began cranking the bucket back up.

Just as he eased the bucket onto the side of the well, a familiar hand gripped his shoulder, making the boy wheel around fast in surprise and with one raised arm ready to attack.

But it was only Baron, who caught the arm almost like a reflex. He grinned at the human boy, a soft chuckle issuing from his throat. "My apologies if I frightened you, Hashi."

"Uh, what? Oh no, it takes more than that to frighten me," Hashi said aloud, though his heart was silently racing. He turned around again to empty the bucket into the metal watering can that he had almost sent down the well.

"Of course. Might I ask where your sister is?" the tall employer asked politely.

"In the flower greenhouse, sir," Hashi said while carefully taking up the heavy watering can with both hands.

But surprisingly, the feline lord took the watering can from the boy's hands. "I'd like to talk to her about something important," Baron all but whispered. "Could you go read a book for a while?"

"Uh, sure," the boy said dubiously before running back into the house. But as he shut the door behind him, a knowing smirk crossed the human boy's face.

Feeling more than a little apprehensive, Baron switched his hold on the watering can to the other hand, and moved on soft feet to the closed door of his favorite green house.

Haru must have heard the door open and close, for the click seemed very loud both times to the orange and cream cat. He walked through the simple maze, which was heavily scented with the various blossoms. Baron walked past a corner, and stopped short.

The human housekeeper, with her feline charges off at school, was very carefully watering a lemon-yellow rosebush. The very last one his wife had been able to plant before her death. After a few seconds, Haru placed the watering can aside, and started snipping off the leaves and buds that had a slightly unhealthy brown cast to them and tossing them into a small basket for later disposal. And after she was done, the slim brunette moved onto the next one.

After three more rosebushes, Haru suddenly stiffened, and looked behind her. Baron stiffened as well, wondering why he had been staring at her for so long.

She smiled politely from behind her impossibly thick glasses, although a twinge of nervousness showed through the gesture, and bowed. "Hello, Baron. Is that for me?"

Suddenly, the tawny feline remembered the watering can that was still hanging from his hand. "Ah, yes, actually." He walked forward enough to hand it to her, and she took it with a smile.

"Miss Gachi finished the dress today, so everything's looking good for Yuki's little surprise."

"That's wonderful," Baron said, trying to remember the exact reason he had hunted her down this time. Why had his mind suddenly gone blank like this? He had sent Hashi into the house for a reason…

Oh, right.

"I wonder if it might be possible to ask a small favor of you, Haru."

She sharply looked up at him, with one eyebrow rising from behind her glasses, and set the watering can on a nearby table. "What kind of favor?" she asked politely. Baron took an extra breath for courage, although he wasn't entirely sure as to why he needed it here, instead of on another dangerous mission. "Would… you mind accompanying me to Lune's ball?"

Both of the human girl's fine dark eyebrows shot up from behind her glasses. "Excuse me?" the girl asked, her voice turning a higher soprano than her employer had ever heard from her before.

"Well," Baron said hastily. "You're sort of coming anyway, and it would be terribly rude on my part to kick you out the door, so to speak, after you're finished with Yuki."

"Uh, I appreciate the thought, Baron, but… I'm not really a 'ball' type," she admitted. "I wouldn't really be comfortable at the palace, and I… I can't, really…" the slim brunette kept stammering as a slight blush stained her cheeks once more.

Her employer sighed a bit. "I'll admit to having an ulterior motive, Haru. The king's made a proclamation that all bachelors attending Lune's ball must bring a young lady, and to be honest, I know I won't die of boredom if I bring you."

The housekeeper stared at him, a little incredulous. "What kind of a king makes a proclamation like _that_?!"

"Lune's father, unfortunately. It appears that he's beginning to fall victim to the berserker blood that pops up in the royal line every few generations, so I'll probably need to pull a few strings soon, and convince him to abdicate the throne to Lune. But still, would you come with me to the ball? As a friend? You know you can trust me."

Just barely, the gold and ivory feline could see the girl subtly biting her lip in careful contemplation.

"On one condition, Baron."

"Name it."

"Don't ask me to dance, and back me up if anyone else asks."

The tawny cat cocked his head at her, not quite expecting her to say that. "Are you poor at it, Haru?"

The slim brunette had to bite back a bitter laugh, turning so that she could pick up the watering can, and resume her work. "Being 'poor' couldn't _begin_ to cover it, Baron. Let me put it this way; my father, the man that I love and respect more than anything in the world, tried to teach me for six months before he gave up, and two-thirds of that time he spent recovering from the wounds I didn't want to end up giving him. And if _he _didn't have the patience to teach me, I can't think of a single person that could."

The tawny half-feline stared at her. "Six _months_?"

Haru nodded solemnly, her head hanging slightly between her shoulders in shame. "That's right. Mother insisted that he stopped trying to teach me before he became permanently damaged."

Baron started shaking his head in denial. "There is no possible way _you _could be that clumsy, Haru!"

"Well, I am. At least on the dance floor."

"With how well you fight?!"

The watering can crashed to the floor, spilling the fresh well-water as a deadening silence filled the greenhouse. As slow as eternity, the human girl turned around to stare at her employer, who had one hand up to his mouth in shock.

He had obviously not meant to ask that last question.

"You_ knew?_" she whispered in horror.

Baron blinked once, and then lowered the hand while nodding firmly. "I've known for quite a few months, Haru. I've watched you fight your brother on a number of mornings, when you thought everyone was asleep."

Her heart turned cold as ice. "_And you never said anything?!_" she whispered shrilly.

The orange and cream cat nodded. "I figured that you would tell me the truth when you were ready. So tell me, how is it you can possibly manage to maim someone you obviously care for deeply without meaning to by dancing, when you can fight with such liquid grace?"

Haru turned a bright red, and looked down at her feet. "I… well… it's a long story."

Baron smiled softly, and pointedly leaned against a table covered with pots of roses. "I have the time for it."

The slim brunette took a deep breath for courage. "My… my father was raised as an elite mercenary. Everyone in his forefathers' ancestry, for more generations than we can track, fought and killed for gold, but after my father got enough to retire on, he quit and moved to a remote village in the mountains, where he used the money to build a bookshop and marry a nice girl so they could raise a family, because he didn't enjoy killing people and he had always been fascinated by knowledge.

"But my father never forgot about the monstrosities he had witnessed in his former career, and he didn't want his children to fall prey to someone that would want to take advantage of me. I started my training when I was four, but Father didn't think about teaching me to dance until I had started noticing boys. But by then, the natural instinct to hurt was so deeply ingrained that it's impossible for me to dance without hurting anyone. Father says I do more damage by dancing than I ever could by fighting." The human girl sighed. "But he was proud of me, no matter what. And I repay him by passing along my knowledge to Hashi, since Father died in an avalanche before he could complete my brother's training."

Baron stared at her, a little dumbfounded. "I see. Does your brother also suffer from this peculiarity?"

"Oh no. Father saw where he went wrong in me soon enough to prevent Hashi from being as deadly as me, so he can dance pretty well when called to. He can get pretty smug about it." The girl sighed tiredly again. "We were scared that you would think we were assassins if you knew about our fighting abilities, but I swear on everything that's good that we mean no harm to you or your children, we are prepared to fight to the death for you, and I apologize for keeping this a secret. It was my idea not to let employers find out. Hashi was the one that wanted to tell you."

That strangely made Baron feel better, and a light chuckle escaped his lips. "Apology accepted. All right, since I know that you can't lie worth anything, I promise on my honor not to ask you to dance, and I'll assist you against anyone else that asks for the honor."

Haru looked up at him sharply.

He grinned back at her, even the faint stiffness gone. "Lune's ball, remember?"

With a start, the brunette realized that she had forgotten about the baron's intent. "Oh, right. Okay, I'll come with you."

Baron smiled warmly at her, and tipped his hat respectfully. "Thank you, Haru." With that, he turned and walked out of the greenhouse.

Feeling strangely numb, and yet alive with sparks, the bespectacled brunette kneeled over in order to retrieve the watering can she had dropped earlier. _'It's just a polite outing with a friend. He's just being nice, there's no reason for me to think that it might mean that he's… just forget about it. He's a friend. Just a friend. Stop blushing over nothing, already!'_

Although she had no way of knowing that her feline looks had returned with a vengeance once more, the human wasn't surprised when her ears began moving in an unaccustomed cat-like fashion.

However, the feline lord was much calmer, as he walked back to his home for a cup of tea, and to bring Hashi back from his temporary banishment. _'This is surprisingly good news. I was starting to worry that she was perfect. This flaw definitely makes her seem more like a person instead of an angel someone was good enough to send down from the clouds.' _Without warning, he stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth agape with shock.

'_Wait, since when have I thought of her as an angel?!'_


	20. The Journey

**Chapter Twenty: The Journey**

Tsunami carefully buttoned the back of the soft yellow dress where the human couldn't reach it. She and Haru had made the dress together, since Miss Gachi had become swamped with too many orders to expect Haru's to be done in time for the ball. Luckily, the housekeeper had insisted on a simple design, and she had to admit that the cool satin cloth felt nice against her skin.

A small part of her wondered what Baron would think of it.

"There. Now hold still while I tie on the choker," the black feline said absently.

The bespectacled brunette bit her lip nervously as the dark cat wrapped a thin black ribbon around the human's slim throat and clipped it from the back.

Smiling smugly, Tsunami turned the girl around to display to the female kittens covering the housekeeper's bed. "Well? What do you think, girls?"

"She looks nice," Elly said enthusiastically, cuddling Haruka like a doll.

Lily nodded her head, but her green gaze was calculating while rubbing Haruna's belly. "Can you leave your hair down for tonight, Haru? The pony tail doesn't work with the gown."

Haru sighed, and reached up with one hand to pull out the cord that usually held her hair in place, sending chocolate colored strands cascading over her slim shoulders. "I guess you're right, but I still have to do something with it."

Tsunami sighed, looking at her paws, which had lengthening fingers. "I can't help here, Haru. Cats don't usually have to worry about hair styling."

"I know," Haru said soothingly, looking at the mirror that the von Gikkingen girls had carried up to her attic room earlier that day, since the housekeeper usually avoided mirrors whenever possible. Curling her upper lip in contemplation, the brunette placed her thumbs at her temples, and drew them through her hair until meeting each other at the back of her skull.

Biting her lip again, Haru tied the left side of her hair with a ribbon that matched her yellow dress, so that she could braid the right side without hassle. After repeating the process on the left side, she tied the ends of the two braids together at the base of her skull, and allowed the rest of her hair to flow freely, making the hairstyle look almost like a modest crown.

"How's that?" she asked, looking towards the cats covering her bed, so that they could get a better look at the new hair style.

Lily's eyes were wide and appreciative. "I wish _my _fur were long enough to do that. It's perfect, but are you sure you don't want to get rid of the glasses?"

"Very sure," Haru said firmly, adjusting them on her nose before slipping a special silver brooch into a hidden pocket in her skirt. "There's no point to going to a party if you can't see what's going on." She took a deep breath for courage, and kissed each of the children goodbye before hugging Tsunami.

"I guess I'm off then," the brunette said reluctantly, throwing a dark cloak over one shoulder of her sunny dress.

"Have fun with Daddy," Elly said softly as her beloved nanny made her exit.

Behind the von Gikkingen girls' backs, Tsunami was gloating with triumph.

ooOoo

"And make sure that you keep her away from the dance floor," Hashi begged Baron, who was waiting at the base of the stairs for the slim brunette. "Trust me; this is for your own good, as well as anyone else that might be in the room."

"Yes, Hashi. Haru has warned me about her 'meowsy' dancing," the orange and cream cat said distractedly as his heart thumped uncertainly in his chest. His usual grey suit had become replaced by a classy black tuxedo for the ball, but he was ill at ease without his favorite top hat, having to replace it with a black one for the formal occasion. About the only thing that had stayed the same of his attire was the polished cane at his side.

And in the corner, Muta seemed somehow caught between satisfaction and chagrin.

Slowly, the human boy laughed. "That's a new word for her dancing, but it works. Oh, hey Haru."

Baron casually glanced up the stairs, and his eyes became firmly glued to the brunette that descended with a peculiar sort of grace that he hadn't quite noticed before, if that was the way that she usually walked.

The simple yellow dress that graced her form didn't quite have the fullness that was popular nowadays, but was obviously more comfortable. The modest sleeves that covered her shoulders and upper arms had the same flowing style as the skirt, and the warm color seemed to give the brunette's pale skin a soft golden glow that somehow reflected her wonderful personality. Even the new way she was wearing her hair seemed more relaxed than the usual ponytail.

About the only thing that had stayed the same about _her _were the huge glasses that covered half of her face like a mask. Idly, Baron wondered just what she would look like, if she'd ever take them off in his presence.

"Hey, Hashi," Haru answered her brother casually, whipping a dark cloak over her shoulders to combat the chill in the night air outside. "You'll help Muta and Tsunami out with things, right?"

"Sure, but I doubt we'll be able to do _too_ much damage in just a few hours."

"Just curb any attempts for mischief," his sister said firmly, hugging her brother tenderly before turning to look at the feline lord.

His heart began to pound loudly in his ears, and he irrationally wondered if she would approve of him.

His fears were banished by the shy smile on the girl's lips, as dazzling as the rising sun.

"Shall we, then?" she asked.

Unable to make his vocal chords work, for a reason he wasn't quite aware of, he offered his arm to her. She placed her hand on it, subtly biting her lip again as he guided her out the front door.

"Try not to demolish the house," Baron managed to say over his shoulder before closing the door behind himself.

It was a good thing that the door was shut, because Muta and Hashi might not have been able to conceal the smug smirks on their faces, as well as a few slightly evil chuckles.

"You know too, don't you?" the huge bodyguard asked the slim human, who shrugged nonchalantly.

"Only for several months. I just wish _they'd _figure it out and stop dancing around the issue."

ooOoo

"Are you sure about this?" Haru asked nervously as her employer gently pulled her onto Toto, behind himself.

"Very sure," Baron said as the girl hesitantly placed her hands on his shoulders. He grimaced slightly, strangely put out for some reason. "You'll want a better hold than that, if you want to stay on after takeoff."

The words had the desired effect, since the nanny immediately wrapped her arms around his chest and squeezed fearfully. The tawny feline smiled, and patted her hands, which were now resting close to his heart. _'__**Much**__ better.' _Satisfied that his date was secure, Baron gave the okay for Toto to begin his flight.

Struggling to suppress a slightly smug smile of his own, the dark crow gently took to the air, making an extra effort to keep the relatively short trip to the Cat Castle nice and smooth for the new passenger.

"Come now, Haru," Baron chuckled after a few moments of feeling the poor girl tremble against his back, patting her hands again with one of his own, since he needed to keep at least a partial grip on Toto. "You even said that flying is one of the things that you haven't been able to do yet."

She mumbled something incoherent into the space on his back between the shoulder blades.

"I can't understand you," Baron said gently, now rubbing her hands. He could hardly believe that the girl was _scared_, of this of all things! "Just trust me, Haru. Open your eyes, it's safe. I promise."

Her hands gripped the front of his jacket uncertainly, but then he felt her unbury her face from between his shoulder blades, and gave a soft gasp. "_Oh_," she breathed softly, watching the stars above and the torches beneath pass by almost like comets, and the beautifully lit castle in front of them come ever closer. "_Wow_."

"There now. This isn't so bad, now is it?" Baron said softly, as her grip on him loosened slightly.

"No. It's beautiful," Haru agreed reverently, like speaking too loud would shatter the glorious scene before her.

Another glowing smile crossed his face, and he reluctantly pressed one hand against Toto's back. "Can you drop us off here? And we'll call you when it's time for the official entrance."

"Sure thing," Toto said, coming down for a landing.

"What? But…" Haru floundered as her escort hopped off of their ride and reached up to help her down.

"We don't want anyone to learn of our little plot, do we? Our best course of action is to sneak you inside the castle, you do your thing with Yuki, and have you come back out so we can make a loud entrance after Yuki shows up. That way no one will suspect a thing."

Haru smiled at him from behind her glasses, and allowed him to help her off the crow. "Great, so now the real question; how do we get inside the place without anyone the wiser?"

Baron grinned confidently, and wrapped her arm in his after tipping his hat at a retreating Toto.

"Just trust me."


	21. The Godmother

**Chapter Twenty One: The Godmother**

"Can you believe that Countess Sai didn't come with an escort?" a lavender handmaiden giggled to a periwinkle one, each carrying a fan in order to surround the king for the ball.

"I know," the blue feline said dramatically. "I believe she honestly thought that the Baron von Gikkingen was going to ask her. I mean, he had to bring _someone_, and everyone knows that she's been after him for years."

The purple cat giggled again as she and her friend rounded a corner.

However, if they had chosen to be silent and stay, they would have noticed how a certain unused curtain bulged in the middle, and a dark-cloaked human skulk out from behind it.

"Are you sure about the directions?" Haru whispered into the dusty crimson velvet.

"Absolutely. Think you can manage it, or would you rather I came?" Baron whispered back.

The human laughed softly and shook her head, remembering at the last second that he couldn't see the gesture before she passed him her dark cloak, since she wouldn't need it inside the castle. "I can handle it. You'll be here when I get back?"

"Of course. Now hurry!"

Haru nodded, and slipped away from the curtain, moving at a brisk pace.

Up ahead, she could hear the giggle of more girls moving toward her. The slim brunette looked both ways for a place to hide, her heart pounding in terror as the voices and paw steps came closer. But there was no way she could possibly disappear fast enough to escape notice.

Just before the girl cats came around the approaching corner, Haru swiped the huge glasses off of her face and put them in her pocket.

The giggling girls stopped short at seeing the human, their eyes growing huge as the golden girl smoothly glided past them, and slowly turned back to the servants, a rather confident smile on her lips.

"I beg your pardon, ladies," Haru said, pitching her voice lower than it usually went, just in case they recognized it at an inconvenient time. "Would you happen to know where I could fix my hair in privacy? It's an absolute disaster." She patted her perfect left braid in a dismayed manner, privately glad that she had paid attention to how her aristocratic employer spoke.

"Uh, keep going down this hallway," the darker cat squeaked, her eyes wide with a stunned admiration. "Third door on your right, my lady."

Haru smiled warmly, and nodded respectfully before continuing on her way. "You have my thanks."

After the slim brunette had walked a good distance from the servants and turned a corner, the two girls let out a light sigh of relief.

"Did you see _that_?" the lighter one asked her companion, who gave a dreamier sigh.

"I wish _I_ had eyes like hers. How lovely…"

ooOoo

This would be the worst night of her life. After today, the Cat Prince would be affianced to the girl of his choice…

And she would be alone once more.

Yuki sighed sadly, clutching her meager meal of trout close in a desperate need for comfort as she walked the lonely hallway to her room, since the cook had dismissed her for the night out of compassion for the white cat's plight.

She should have been preparing herself for this day. How could she have been so gullible, to think that she would remain in Lune's life?

Her heart began to pound with a dull ache, making her close her eyes as a few crystal tears trailed down her furry cheeks. Her blue eyes, still so sad, were downcast when she finally stepped within her little room, and let the red curtain fall to its place behind her.

"Well, it's about time. I was about ready to go looking for you."

Yuki's head snapped up in shock to the one who had spoken.

There was a human in the Cat Kingdom! And judging from the looks of her, she was someone important. Almost like a magnet, the young white feline was drawn into those huge brown eyes that seemed to look right through her.

Whatever the slim human had seen in her must have been good, because she smiled, and stood up while brushing a few imaginary wrinkles from her glorious yellow skirt.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Yuki. I've been looking forward to this for a couple weeks now."

"Who… who are you?" the light cat whispered.

The human woman's fine slim lips curved into a gentle smile as a light laugh escaped her throat. "My name isn't important, but you can call me your fairy godmother, if you wish."

Yuki laughed, and collapsed on her bed. "If only you had appeared a few years ago. I could have really used a godmother when my aunt turned me out on the streets."

"Sorry about that," the human said sympathetically. "But wasn't it better for the prince to come to your rescue?"

Yuki's heart began to ache once more. "Look, just what do you want from me?!" she demanded of the 'fairy godmother' that stood before her. "Isn't it enough that I'm going to lose Lune forever?!"

"There's something you can do about that, you know," the fair brunette said gently, sitting next to the white feline who gave a dismissing scoff.

"What, you mean go to the ball? It's a nice thought, but I'd be laughed out of the castle if I tried to go as a guest."

"The invitation was to all eligible girls in the kingdom, and you look eligible to me."

Yuki laughed again, stroking the pink ribbon around her neck. "Wearing just this to a royal ball? I wouldn't be allowed past the guards."

Her godmother laughed, a light golden sound that echoed throughout the humble room. "Is that all? I can fix that." The slim brunette started fishing around an unseen pocket of her skirt.

"What could you possibly have that can-" Yuki became cut off as the yellow-clad human clipped a silver brooch to the pink ribbon Lune had given her, and then took several steps back, a small smile on her lips.

As Yuki looked down to see the bauble, it began to glow with an inner light, and pulsate like a heart. Without warning, the glow of the brooch swallowed her whole, until she resembled a shining star.

While being bathed in the light, the white cat could feel something like a fine comb being run all over her fur, again and again as her maid's cap was disdainfully thrown away. In its place, ribbons the palest possible shade of blue shot out of the brooch and wrapped lovingly around her body until they stitched together to form a dress more beautiful than Yuki had ever hoped to wear. And it had _pearls_! How did the human possibly know her secret adoration of the simple gems?

When the light faded, Yuki was the equal of any girl attending the ball. The fairy godmother did an inspection from all sides as the feline maiden felt the skirt with one paw, completely stunned that it was a perfect fit.

"I thought you'd do justice to this dress. Any other complaints you'd like to tell me, before you go?" The slim brunette asked with a gentle smile.

"I… I…" the white cat stammered. "What if… Lune doesn't want me there?"

The human rolled her brown eyes, and gave the terrified feline a quick hug around the shoulders. "You'll never know if you sit in this room wondering 'what if' all night. Just remember, Yuki; I may have given you the dress, but _the prince _gave you this." She traced the pink ribbon that still graced the cat's slender neck. "Why don't you let him say his piece before you decide it for him?" With gentle hands, the human guided her feline charge towards the dusty curtain, and the ball on the other side.

Suddenly Yuki turned around and threw her arms around her godmother's neck in a fierce embrace. "Thank you so much," she whispered. "It's not going to disappear at midnight, is it?"

"No," the brunette laughed, hugging the feline back. "The dress is real, I assure you. Now run along and enjoy the party."

Yuki nodded happily, stealing one more hug before throwing the curtain back, and running down the hall as gracefully as she could manage, her heart finally light in her chest again.

ooOoo

Haru gave a huge sigh, after she was certain that Yuki was far down the hallway.

"There now," she muttered to herself while walking through the red curtain. "That turned out pretty well, I think." Smiling softly, the slim brunette started walking at a brisk pace back to where Baron was still hiding, and waiting. Haru felt a soft glow, imagining how pleased he would be with her for executing her mission so flawlessly. Emboldened, she increased her pace.

"There's _got_ to be a decent girl in this kingdo-" a voice growled out before someone huge bumped into Haru from one of the curtains lining the impressive hallway. She cried out while landing hard on her side, hearing whoever it was stumble a bit before gaining his balance back.

"Hey!" a huge grey longhair howled, turning around one more time in order to glare at the girl he had bumped into. "Watch where you're… going?" His already huge mismatched eyes went even wider, staring at the girl who was sitting up, and staring back at him, the third eye inside the purple gem on the huge feline just as stunned as the real ones.

'_This must be the Cat King Baron told me about. He has Lune's eyes. Is that gem supposed to be a crown?' _Smiling nervously, she got to her feet and curtsied neatly, like one of her previous employers taught her to. "I apologize for the inconvenience, Your Majesty. I will strive to watch where I'm going more closely in the future," she said politely, pitching her voice slightly lower than usual again.

"That's perfectly fine, babe," the Cat King whispered, his tone slightly awed.

Haru inwardly groaned. Since when has 'babe' been part of a royal vocabulary?! She smiled once more and gave a polite curtsy, backing away respectfully. "Have a pleasant evening, Your Majesty."

"Hold it!" the king commanded, a strange gleam lighting up his eyes. "Have you met my son yet?" he asked slyly.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Twice. I fear I must take my leave now, or my escort will be most vexed with me." Haru gave one more polite curtsy, and made a run for it.

"Hey, wait!" the Cat King cried out desperately, making hot pursuit. "I wasn't done talking to you!"

'_Too bad.' _She grimaced while navigating a sharp corner, swinging on a spear that was being held up by an archaic suit of armor before slipping into the curtain where Baron was waiting for her.

The gentle gold and ivory feline swallowed a startled oath as his nanny suddenly threw herself into his arms, clinging to him as a familiar voice rang out through the hallway.

"You didn't even tell me your name!" the Cat King pined, pausing just in front of the curtain. Dimly, Baron could see the monarch's silhouette through the dusty velvet, accented by the hallway torches as he looked both ways frantically. Haru clung to him tighter, making her heart beat fearfully into his chest as he held her close, and waited patiently while stroking her soft hair soothingly.

'_Has her hair always smelled like this?'_ Baron couldn't quite put a name to the scent, but it was pleasing enough for him to breathe expressly through his dark nose, in order to savor the girl's scent without letting her know what he was doing.

Finally, the Cat King stomped off. "She didn't even leave me a shoe," the feline monarch said mournfully, his voice fading away.

Baron sighed with relief, and looked down to ask Haru just what had happened. But just before words could issue forth, they turned to a thick jelly in his throat.

Wordlessly, he gazed into the girl's beautiful, fearful eyes.


	22. The Deception

**Chapter Twenty Two: The Deception**

Haru took another steadying breath before looking up at Baron, and smiling nervously. "Okay, good news is that Yuki's on her way to the ballroom right now, if she isn't there already. Bad news is that the Cat King saw me, and I apparently made a big impression on him. Any ideas on where to go from here?"

Baron's mouth flapped open and shut for a while, his grass-green eyes growing wider and wider with something she couldn't quite put a name to. "Just… out of curiosity, Haru, what happened to your glasses?"

That brought the brunette's attention back sharply, and her hand dove into the pocket of her dress in order to put the corrective lenses back on their perch.

But then Baron's hand stopped hers, and he gently pressed her hand down so that he could look deep into her _perfect_ eyes again. A slightly mischievous smirk slowly crossed his lips as the orange and cream cat figured out the truth. "You never needed them, did you?"

Haru blushed crimson, and looked down at her feet in shame. "I need them, all right. Just… not to aid my sight."

The smirk disappeared, and the feline lord withdrew his hand so that she could put the thick glasses back on. "I see. Well, did anyone else see you?"

Haru nodded, feeling confident enough to look up at her employer, now that she had her feeble protection back. Idly, she wondered if he realized that his other hand was still on her waist. "A few servants, and Yuki. I know I look more impressive without the glasses, and I thought Yuki would take me more seriously when I wasn't wearing them. I thought that the glasses enough would be enough to keep our conspiracy a secret, but with that king, I'm not so sure. No offense, but he gives me the creeps."

Baron sighed, pulling her back a bit so he could take a careful note of her dress. "One more or less has to get used to it, but I have a feeling that Phoebus won't be staying in power much longer. I think you're right; the glasses alone won't be enough. Hold still." Firmly, he placed his hands on her shoulders, and whispered a few choice words as he focused his concentration on the soft satin.

Looking down, Haru bit back a gasp as her dress became several shades lighter in the dark corridor. After the dress almost appeared to be white in the darkness, Baron took his hands off of her, and looked at her up and down again as the brunette's cheeks burned slightly.

"Are you terribly attached to that hairstyle?" he asked gently. Haru shook her head, pulling out the ribbon before working the braids loose with her long slim fingers.

After her hair was completely down, the slim human held the yellow ribbon uncertainly. "Maybe I could pull it back again," she murmured, but Baron shook his head with a smile.

"It looks wonderful just like that," the tawny lord softly protested before she could attempt the usual hairstyle. "You really should give some thought to leaving your hair down, this style suits you much better than the ponytail."

Her cheeks burned again as she lowered her hands, and tucked the spare ribbon into the pocket. Her escort held his arm out to her again.

"Shall we?" he asked. "Toto's probably frantic by now."

Haru nodded, and placed her hand on his arm once more.

ooOoo

"Where have you two been?" Toto hissed as Baron ran out of the secret entrance, sweeping Haru effortlessly into his arms as he jumped onto his friend's back and grabbed a handful of feathers in one smooth motion.

"We were interrupted," Baron said evasively as the dark crow took to the sky once more, in order to circle the forest and approach the castle again to throw off any suspicions, if any even came.

Haru and Baron took the precious moments in the air to catch their breath once more, since they had needed to run quite hard through the dusty corridor.

Below them, the castle waited.

ooOoo

"I swear, Lune! The girl was _perfect_!" the Cat King insisted to his son, who was nodding formally at the most current girl to approach the throne to the accompaniment of fine musical instruments.

"If she's so perfect, then how come you didn't even catch her name? Besides, I'd be more comfortable with a feline bride," the young prince said tiredly, nodding formally at the striped maiden before she bowed away from the throne, her eyes turning dark and angry.

"She'll become one after enough time in the kingdom," the longhair defended, resuming his watch over the ballroom, still searching for that golden girl. Under ordinary circumstances, humans stuck out like sore thumbs at any royal function within the kingdom, but the only human girl that the king had managed to find was the red-haired noblewoman that Prince Edward of Ulam was escorting, but that one looked _nothing _like the angel the Cat King had seen in the hallway.

He looked around the room again, suppressing a growl. Just where was she, anyway? She had even mentioned an escort, so she had to be around the castle somewhere…

"I'm not interested in some human stranger, Father," Lune said tiredly, his own eyes faded, and searching.

"But she said she's met you twice!" his father protested. "Surely you'd remember a human girl with beautiful brown eyes?!"

His son gave a soft gasp, and stood up from his place next to the royal throne. His mismatched eyes of fire and ice, so much smaller than those of his father's, were filled with a stunned admiration as he slowly walked past the long line of feminine felines that had been trying to ensnare him.

At first, the Cat King had thought that the prince had caught sight of the human girl, but strangely enough, Lune wasn't going anywhere near a human. Instead, his target was a lovely white cat that had shyly moved one of the curtains aside so that she could enter the glimmering ball room, swirling with dancers.

The music faltered and the dancing stopped cold as the crown prince, without hesitation, bowed low before the stunning white cat and kissed her paw tenderly. She blushed prettily, and words seemed to stick in her throat. Prince Lune looked up into her china blue eyes, and smiled lovingly.

The king saw his son's lips move, and could only assume that he had asked the girl for a dance, since she had nodded shyly and followed his gentle lead into the center of the dance floor. The prince signaled for a soft waltz, a wish that was immediately granted by the wise musicians. Expertly, he began dancing with the feline of his choice, lost in a world of his own, never taking his eyes off of his partner as she lovingly gazed back at him.

"My my. Looks like the prince has found someone to his liking."

The Cat King grumpily turned to his left, where the Baron von Gikkingen was casually watching the dancing from the sidelines. The monarch growled in irritation. "He wasn't supposed to pick yet. He was supposed to wait until midnight."

The tawny lord chuckled a bit, and turned to face the feline monarch. As he turned, a human girl clinging to the lord's arm came into the Cat King's view. His large mismatched eyes automatically went to her, but alas, it wasn't the beauty he had spoken to earlier. Her dress was a light cream instead of lemon yellow, and she was far too homely, with those ridiculous glasses. Even her smile was too grim.

"I'm surprised that you're indignant about his haste. As I recall, the ball was _your _idea," Baron gently reminded the feline monarch.

"It was, but… I just had my heart set on a different daughter-in-law is all." Suddenly, the Cat King was struck with a brilliant idea. "Say, Baron, you know the Ulam nobility pretty well, don't you?"

"Fairly well, but why do you ask," the green-eyed feline said curiously.

"Well, there was a human girl running around the castle earlier, but no one seems to know her. Maybe you do?"

Baron shrugged casually. "Perhaps if you could describe her? What's her name?"

The Cat King ignored that last question. "Well, she's about this tall," he gestured to a level equal to his lower chest. "Long pretty brown hair, fair skin, _very _fair face, and the biggest, most beautiful pair of brown eyes you'd ever seen. She also had a queenly way of holding herself, and a very pretty smile. There could be no possible doubt that the girl is of royal descent. She was wearing a yellow gown, if that helps."

The baron hummed a bit, holding his chin with one hand. "Well, the Duchess of Thilash matches that description, as well as the Countess of Yulj, and all five of Prince Edward's sisters. Did you catch her name? How old was she?"

"I don't know, babe," the king said helplessly, flailing his arms around angrily. "All I know is that she's gorgeous and courteous!"

"So is nearly every girl that you've come in contact with tonight," Baron reminded the monarch, smiling a strange smile. "Besides, if she came for the ball, she should be showing up soon enough." Without warning, he pressed a hand to his forehead. "How rude of me. This is Haru Yoshioka, Your Majesty."

The Cat King barely spared a second glance at the wisp at Baron's side. "Charmed. Hey, wait a second. You brought your _**nanny**_?!"

The orange and cream feline shrugged and smiled again, his arm still wrapped in his companion's. "Why not? You _did _order me to bring an eligible lady, didn't you?"

"I-well," the king tried to say, but then just gave up. "Yeah, whatever." He gave a wave of the paw to declare the two dismissed. Baron bowed as his nanny did a slightly clumsy curtsy, and withdrew from the throne.

ooOoo

"There, see? That wasn't so bad," Baron said consolingly to the slim brunette as her arm started shaking slightly against his.

"_Obviously of royal descent?_" she almost hissed between her teeth. "Since when do you have to be a noble to be nice-looking and well-mannered?" the human girl muttered furiously.

Baron chuckled again, walking the human around the edges of the ball room, so that the dance floor was as far away as possible. "Try not to take it personally, Haru. At least he didn't recognize you."

A small smile managed to work its way back onto his nanny's lips, and a soft laugh escaped her throat. "There's that much, I guess. Well, besides dancing, what do you do at a royal ball?" the brunette asked curiously.

Baron opened his mouth to answer her, but then became interrupted.

"Surely this is but a joke," a low voice hissed to Baron's side.

Haru looked around her escort to see the speaker, and grimaced slightly.

A gorgeous red feline, clothed in the finest black satin, was glaring at the cream-clad human like she wished to murder the girl. "You brought a _servant_ as a guest to the palace?!" she demanded of Baron, who glared right back at her, his own eyes filled with loathing.

Pointedly, he released Haru's arm so that he could wrap his own around her waist. Slowly, he drew her even closer than she had already been, as the poor brunette's heart began to pound loudly in her ears, issuing a warning that the girl couldn't quite interpret.

"What part of 'stay out of my affairs' did you not understand, Countess?" the tawny noble asked coldly as a blush rose on Haru's cheeks.

'_Has Baron's arms always been this warm?'_


	23. The Sorrow

**Chapter Twenty Three: The Sorrow**

Sai glowered at the human girl, as an obvious blush crossed her cheeks from Baron's spontaneous gesture. The red haired feline started breathing faster in her fury, looking once more at the tawny lord in front of her. "_You_," she struggled to say. "You could have had your pick of any noble female in either of the kingdoms, and you bring a _peasant_?!"

Baron glared coolly at the autumn-colored cat, and tipped his hat curtly before guiding the human around the feline. "Fascinating preference, wouldn't you say, Countess? I wonder what could have possibly biased me against women with titles," the orange and cream feline said sarcastically, being sure to put a certain bite into the words before pointedly turning his back on her, and almost marching away with Haru in tow.

"Was… _that _the countess you think tried to bribe me?" Haru asked softly after a few moments of pacing the walls of the ballroom.

Baron sighed, and slowed down for her sake. "Yes. I think you can understand now why I've never cared much for her."

The bespectacled brunette was about to look over her shoulder to look for the red countess, but then decided at the last second not to. "It… explains a few things," Haru said carefully, not wishing to aggravate him needlessly. She bit her lip nervously, and smiled while patting his shoulder. "Hey Baron?"

"Yes, Haru?" he said distractedly.

"Not to be rude or anything, but I think you're bruising one of my ribs."

The feline lord stopped dead in his tracks, and looked at where his hand still was. He blushed deeply, and released her waist. "My apologies, Haru," he said quickly as she rubbed her waist, where he had been gripping her. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's all right, Baron," Haru said carefully, leaving her ribs alone for now. "She annoyed me too."

That made him feel a little better, but he was a bit hesitant about offering her his arm once more, despite the fact that the human girl took it without thinking much about it.

"So, what do you do at balls besides dancing again?" she asked curiously.

Baron large ears flicked once. "Usually mingle with the other guests, enjoy the refreshments, and relax. I wouldn't recommend consuming anything here, though. I know you're a vegetarian, and the sight of shaved mice might unhinge you."

Haru started gagging. "Thanks for the warning. Is there a place where we can sit for a while? You really know how to march when someone bugs you."

"Certainly," Baron said, privately berating himself for not thinking of that earlier. Gently, he led her to a lounging couch at one end of the ballroom, and let her ease herself into the seat.

"Ah, that's nice," Haru said dreamily as her escort sat down beside her.

"Is there anything else you need? A glass of water perhaps?" Baron asked worriedly.

"Oh no. My legs were just getting a little tired." She looked up at the dancing couples, and watched Lune smoothly pick up Yuki and swing her through the air before setting her gently on the ground again. The human girl smiled gently, thinking that the two looked good together.

Haru and Baron sat there in companionable silence for several minutes, watching the dancers swirl past them gracefully. More than once, the Countess Sai twirled past the two, always with a different partner. Her black eyes were filled with hatred for the human girl who was more or less indifferent to the feline's unspoken venom.

"Haru," Baron said after half an hour, almost driven insane by the desire for conversation.

His nanny looked over at him around her glasses, a little startled by the sudden sound of his voice. "Yes?"

The tawny cat bit his lip, and used one finger to trace the bottom rim of her glasses. "If you don't need these for sight, then what _do _you need them for?" he asked curiously.

Haru's hand almost flew to her face, pushing the masklike glasses further up her nose, just in case. "It's kind of personal," Haru said numbly, looking away from him.

Sighing softly, Baron reached over and covered her hand with his. "Please, Haru?" he asked in a soft tone. "You know you can trust me."

She sharply looked at him again, and down at his hand on hers between them.

"Please," Baron said simply, somehow sensing that the glasses were masking something bigger than those beautiful eyes of hers.

Haru bit her lip nervously. "Promise you won't tell anyone?" she whispered. Baron nodded, and squeezed her hand, making the girl sigh in defeat.

"Back in the village I grew up in, there was a boy. We were… sort of childhood sweethearts. He used to promise me all the time that when we were old enough, he'd build a house for us and marry me. That was a tradition in our village, you know. We didn't have money, but we had an extensive forest at our disposal."

Baron nodded, having visited such places before. "Did something happen to this boy?" he asked, concerned for her.

Haru laughed a little bitterly. "You could say that. When he was old enough to start building the house, Machida got right to work. It took him two years, but by the time he was done, our house was one of the most solid and beautiful homes in the entire valley. Everything was looking good, so everyone made ready to celebrate my wedding to Machida. It took three months to store up enough food for the party we were going to have afterward. Everything was going so _good_." Her voice cracked slightly as the pain began to resurface.

Dimly, she could feel Baron squeeze her hand again. "Did this Machida die?"

Haru gave another laugh, edged with something bitter. "I probably sound terrible for saying this, but I almost wish that he had. Things would have been a lot easier to handle, if he had died a nice clean death like my father had, like a tree falling on him wrong or meeting up with a wolf unarmed." Haru shook her head again.

"The day of our wedding, we- that is, me, Machida, our families, and everyone in the village- were heading to the special grove where our local priest would conduct wedding ceremonies. As it so happened, that was the day that a newcomer came to town, on a gleaming white horse. She was very beautiful, with long golden hair, lavender-colored eyes and snow-like skin." Her hand became balled up into fists.

"She looked at Machida, he looked at her. She gave him a smile and a wink, and he was gone, just like that."

Baron blinked incredulously. "Surely there had to be more than that."

Haru shook her head sadly. "I was right there, Baron. I watched him invite her into the house he had made for me, the day _we _were supposed to be getting married. They lived with each other for **weeks** without benefit of clergy, and they didn't even give our priest the satisfaction of turning them down for a ceremony, for how they had humiliated me. Not even the death of my mother and my house getting burned down was enough to persuade Machida to look my direction." Her eyes became cast downward, and a few tears squeezed out from behind her glasses.

"That was the real reason Hashi and I left home. I couldn't stand to stay another day, and watch _that girl _live a life that should have been mine. All the other men in the village were able to resist her charms, so how come only Machida succumbed to her? Why was _he_ the weak one?"

Baron snatched a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it into her hand. Gratefully, she dabbed her eyes with the offering, and blew her nose.

"What does all this have to do with your glasses?" the tawny cat asked gently making the girl sigh once more.

"Machida used to tell me all the time that his favorite thing about me, were my eyes. He could look at them for hours before Jani came to the village. I don't know, I guess I just want to avoid getting into another relationship where the guy just likes my eyes and then walks off with the first pretty girl that flirts with him."

Baron cocked his head, sensing just how pain the girl was still in, even though the terrible incident had happened years ago. Sadly, he reached out for her hand again, and held it tight.

"With all due respect, Haru," Baron said softly. "You should have known from the beginning that he wasn't the right one for you."

The bespectacled brunette looked over at him, a little stunned. "What do you mean?"

He smiled again at her, and rubbed her hand softly, comfortingly. "As pretty as your eyes are, your heart is much more beautiful. _That _should have been his favorite thing about you, and if it had been, then he wouldn't have given a care about any other girl."

Haru stared at him, completely stunned. Slowly, oh so slowly… she squeezed his hand back as a soft smile worked its way onto her lips. "Thanks, Baron," the brunette whispered. "Thank you so much."

The tawny lord smiled, sharply resisting the impulse to kiss the girl's hand. "My pleasure, Haru. If you ever need someone to listen, don't hesitate to tell me." Suddenly, his mind clicked. "Did you say that the girl's name was Jani?"

Haru nodded her head in confirmation, making her friend chuckle darkly.

"I _thought_ she wouldn't be right for the job."

"You knew her?" the brunette asked, a little stunned that the name had meant something to him.

"She was one of the girls that wanted your position before we met. She didn't seem like the type to pay attention to anything except herself, so I turned her down."

"It was a good thing you did," Haru confided. "Back in the village, she'd make Machida do all the work around the house after he had been working all day in the fields. The only tools anyone ever saw her handle were a mirror and a fancy umbrella." The brunette leaned back, shaking her head in disbelief.

"They broke up?" she laughed sadly to herself. "How appropriate. Machida never would have left the village."

Baron wanted to say something to that, but nothing came to him.

After a few more minutes, the clock began to strike midnight. The musicians allowed the current waltz to fade into a sweet trill as the feline prince happily intertwined arms with the white cat that was still at his side, blushing happily.

"Attention, everyone," Lune announced proudly. "Thank you for attending my birthday celebration, for this lovely lady has graciously consented to give me the best gift of my life. May I present Yuki, my future wife and princess!"

Baron and Haru immediately jumped to their feet, and started clapping happily as the joyous news rippled throughout the room. The applause was almost deafening, despite the wails of disappointment that many of the female attendants felt were more appropriate to the occasion.

"I believe our work here is done," Baron whispered into Haru's slowly changing ear as the Cat King formally kissed Yuki's forehead to welcome her into the royal family, although his eyes were still dashing madly about the room, searching in vain for the girl that had gotten away from him.

"Why don't we head home before your change becomes permanent?" the tawny cat continued as toffee-colored fur began to coat the girl's face. She reached up with one hand to feel the silky stuff, and nodded while keeping a hand on her glasses, which were threatening to fall off her face thanks to her new ears.

For some strange reason, the slim brunette couldn't keep her eyes off of Baron's face as he carefully led her around the ballroom to the exit, and into the chilly autumn air outside.

Baron helped the girl onto Toto's back, and then climbed on so that they could fly home.

Haru firmly squeezed her escort's chest, and her eyes closed dreamily while pressing one fur-covered cheek against his back. Tantalizing thoughts about her handsome companion began to dance in her head, enough to make whiskers and a tail sprout from her body.

'_Hey, knock that off, Haru! This is __**Baron**__¸ for crying out loud! We're just friends, remember? Remember?!'_


	24. The Change

**Chapter Twenty Four: The Change**

Hashi yawned lingeringly as he walked across the hall from his own room, pounding on the door with one fist as he used the other to cover his yawns. "Rise and shine, sleepy head!" he called out to his sister, grinning evilly. "It's time to practice!"

"Coming," Haru mumbled while coming out of her room, one hand covering her own yawns as she closed the door behind herself, and started walking down the hall with her brother.

"No ponytail again for today?" Hashi asked, quirking an eyebrow at the taller brunette, who nodded.

"My hair's fine when it's down. All right, today, we're going to work on weights…"

ooOoo

Lune picked up one of the many cream-colored handkerchiefs in front of him, and held it to Yuki for her inspection. "How about this one?" he asked her curiously, making the white cat bite her lip nervously.

"I like this one better," she stated, holding up another one that was more of a silvery gray shade.

Lune looked at it carefully, and grinned while setting his own handkerchief down. "Yes, that one should work just fine. Natori, we'll take the silver eggshell ones for the reception."

The gray cat nodded, and wrote down the choice in his clipboard. "Very good, highness. Now for the china options."

Yuki bit back a groan, looking at the long table covered with different styles of plate and silverware.

Lune sighed, and rubbed her paw lovingly. "Everything will be just fine, love," he consoled while guiding her to the next table. "Three months from now, no one will even remember what we picked."

"It just seems so silly," Yuki confided, giggling a bit. "I mean, a dish is a dish, right?"

Natoru popped through the nearest curtain, clearing his throat importantly. "The Baron von Gikkingen has answered your call, Highness."

"Oh, good. Send him in," Lune urged.

The brown fool nodded enthusiastically while putting his head back through the thick red curtain, and muttering something to the feline on the other side, who came through while tipping his hat at the servant.

"Thank you, Natoru. Well, I'm here, Lune. What was it you wished to speak with me about?"

Lune pushed his bride in front of him a bit. "First off, I wanted to introduce you to my Yuki."

The tawny lord smiled warmly and tipped his hat at the future princess as she nervously curtsied back. "You _are _happier now, aren't you?" he asked her.

The white feline nodded, carefully studying the cat that she had previously only seen from afar. "Yes, Baron," she said nervously. "Lune says that you're the one to blame for my presence at the ball last week."

"That's correct, at least partially," he admitted. "But I must admit that the feat would have been much harder to do without Haru's help."

"Is she the one who gave me the dress?" Yuki asked earnestly. "I mean, Lune's description of your nanny and the girl I met that night don't exactly match."

"Nevertheless, the two are one and the same. But don't speak about this in front of the king," Baron whispered, covering his mouth with one hand so that Natori, who had gone to the other side of the room out of respect, couldn't tell what the Baron was saying and report back to the king. "The fact that you are engaged to Lune hasn't made him stop looking for her, and I fear the worst if he finds out where Haru is."

Lune shuddered, nodding subtly. "He's been talking about getting married again, and he _still_ randomly launches into exaggerated descriptions of the girl he met that night."

Baron convulsed, and just barely pushed back the urge to vomit. "I'll warn her. Was there anything else you required, Yuki?"

The soon-to-be-princess bit her lip again. "I just want to make sure that she'll be at my wedding," she said finally. "You'll bring her, won't you?"

Baron blinked twice. "If that's what you wish. I was planning on bringing her and her brother anyway."

The white feline relaxed completely, her eyes filled with relief. "Good. I didn't want to take any chances. Could you thank her again for me?"

"Of course."

ooOoo

"Will you hold still, Hashi?" Haru cried out in exasperation, attempting to coax her brother's tie into a correct position as he fidgeted uncontrollably.

"But it's strangling me!" he protested angrily, despite the fact that the bow tie had a good three quarters of an inch give on his neck. He was dressed finer than he had ever been before, in a black tuxedo that was close to what Baron and Thomas would be wearing for the royal wedding.

His sister sighed, and finished tying the bow at her brother's throat. "Be grateful you're not the one wearing a corset, brother dearest." She gestured to the soft blue dress she herself was in. "Or shoes with ridiculous heels. Trust me, you can handle a bowtie."

Hashi grumbled a bit more before following his sister out of his room and down the hall to check on the kittens' progress.

"See what Thomas is doing," Haru murmured softly to Hashi, who nodded and knocked respectfully at the door as his sister knocked at Elly's door, brushing back a rebellious lock of hair with one finger.

'_Why do I care so much, what Baron thinks of my hair?' _"How's it coming?" the slim brunette called out to the younger von Gikkingen girl, in an effort to convince herself of what should have been the center of her focus. She heard some moving around on the inside of the room, and the door opened a sliver.

"Would you mind buttoning the back?" the white cat asked in a hushed tone, nervously looking at the door Hashi was walking through. "I can't reach it."

"Of course, you silly girl," Haru said fondly, slipping through the door and closing it behind her so that she could assist the kitten with the lavender dress, tying a big bow on the back after the buttons were firmly in place.

"Have you been to a lot of weddings, Haru?" Elly asked curiously as her devoted nanny made one more pass with a brush over the white kitten's fur.

"Only a few," the housekeeper admitted. "My village was pretty small, so every time someone got married or died, everyone came to the wedding or funeral. But I'm guessing Lune and Yuki's wedding will be a bit fancier than the ones I'm used to. Come on, let's go check on your sister," Haru said, setting the brush aside and wrapping a warm blue cloak around her charge, since snow had fallen the night before.

Elly carefully considered her nanny's answer as she took the human's hand and led her out of the fanciful pink room. "Are _you _ever going to get married, Haru?" the white kitten asked curiously as the nanny raised one fist to knock on Lily's door. The hand became frozen in the air, and the slim brunette's mouth became stricken.

Lily opened her door wide, her eyes panicked. "What?! Are you getting married?!" she asked in a panic.

Haru's mouth moved without sound before the nanny finally gave up and hugged the tawny kitten. "Not for a long time, if it ever even happens. I wouldn't dream of leaving you kittens to fend for yourselves just yet."

Lily sighed heavily with relief as her nanny and sister came inside her pale lavender room, unable to let go of Haru's waist for any reason. "Thank heaven. I don't want you to go away forever."

Haru had to laugh, hugging the girl back while checking to see that all the buttons were in place. They were, but the white sash around the young kitten's waist had been tied slightly crooked, so Haru fixed it as the tawny kitten kept clinging to her.

"You said 'just yet'," Elly said suspiciously, making the nanny twitch slightly.

"Well, no one knows what the future holds, Elly. I'll stay here as long as I can, but I can't promise anything beyond that."

Lily pulled away, staring at her beloved nanny with shock. "Why can't you just promise to stay forever?" she asked with tears in her eyes. Haru sighed and pulled out her handkerchief so that she could dab at Lily's face.

"I can't promise that, Sweetheart, but I'll stay as long as I can. Now come on, cheer up. This is a happy day, remember?"

Lily nodded numbly as she wrapped a creamy outdoor cloak over her blue dress, and clung to her nanny's hand fearfully as the girls trailed out of the hallway and towards the stairs, where Baron was waiting below with the boys.

"I'm tellin' ya, Baron. Tsunami and I are just fine with housesitten'," Muta said in an offhand matter, waving one paw around to help make his point. "We haven't had a lot of time to ourselves, so go ahead and enjoy the wedding."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Baron pressed, making Tsunami laugh as the girls came down the staircase.

"It's better this way, Baron. The less time we stay at the castle, the better. Besides, my husband despises getting dressed up for any reason."

Baron sighed, but his eyes were already on his children and nanny. "If that's the way both of you wish it. Well, come along now. The carriage is ready for us."

Haru smiled outwardly while guiding the children towards the door, but inwardly, she was disappointed that Toto had already left for the Southern Isles for the winter. The house may have been more peaceful without him and Muta picking a fight every three hours, but the human girl still had beautiful dreams about the night she spent sailing the stars with Baron.

'_Will you knock that off?!' _she inwardly screamed at herself as the children hurriedly stepped into the covered carriage that Baron had hired to take them to the wedding. The tawny lord was on the other side of the opening, gently easing Elly in as the last child.

He looked up at the human girl with those glowing green eyes, and smiled warmly. "May I?" he asked, holding out a hand to her.

Not willing to trust her voice, the slim brunette nodded, and placed her hand in his so that he could help her into the carriage, her heart still thumping wildly.

There were two children on each side of the carriage, Thomas quickly moving to the side so that his nanny could slip in next to him, with his father sitting across from her. The tawny feline waved one hand outside the window, making the driver urge the matching black rabbits pulling the equally dark carriage into a steady trot.

"Haru?" Elly suddenly asked from one of her father's arms, her sister wrapped up in the other one. "Aren't you worried about meeting the king again? Father said he flirted with you."

The nanny gave a sharp laugh, and pushed her thick glasses up her nose for comfort while fighting the urge to gag at the memory. "Not really. Just keep quiet about that night, and he'll never even know I've been around."


	25. The Wedding

**Chapter Twenty Five: The Wedding**

Baron came across a startling revelation, as the coach came to a stop in front of the castle gates, and his family emerged with the usual dignity that had become a trademark of the von Gikkingen family.

As Haru warmly clasped her brother's hand and Lily's, and Thomas and Elly clasp his own, he realized that, for the first time since his mother had died, there were finally enough hands to go around without raising a fuss. He smiled contentedly, once again sending a silent prayer of gratitude to the heavens for sending him Haru and Hashi.

But without warning, Natoru ran up to the gate, and stood right in front of the slim brunette, gasping heavily from exertion. "Are… you Haru?" he gasped desperately.

The housekeeper nodded nervously, making him grab her hand away from Hashi and start dragging her towards the castle doors.

"Stop that immediately!" Baron barked, releasing his children's hands so that he could pry the brown cat off of his nanny, who was already knocking the persistent feline's paws away angrily.

"I can't!" Natoru protested, trying to make another grab for the brunette. "The bride said that she wanted to see Haru as soon as she got here, and I can't disobey her!"

"You should have said that in the first place," the brunette growled at him before turning to her tawny employer, whose gloved hand was still on her slim wrist. "Think you can manage without me for a few minutes?"

He wanted to say no. He wanted to say anything that would persuade the girl to stay at his side, especially while they were in the same building as the Cat King.

But, for Yuki, he sighed and reluctantly released his hold on his brunette.

Wait… _his_?!

"Be quick," he urged her, getting his nanny to nod once before motioning for the brown cat to lead her through the castle's inner labyrinth.

Suddenly feeling lost, he held two of his children's hands again, and directed the remaining two with a look, urging them to the gates.

Hashi looked slightly more serious than usual, and a bit angry. _'Why is he letting her leave?!'_

ooOoo

Haru had to hold her skirts up slightly, so that she wouldn't trip over them following Natoru through corridor after corridor. One of them she recognized from her previous visit, making her shove the thick glasses back up her nose again, just in case the feline monarch happened to be in the vicinity.

Finally, the brown cat stopped at a certain curtain, gasping terribly again. "I have her, Your highness!" he called into the red velvet, making a pink maid servant stick her head out of the folds and look incredulously at the human nanny.

"Are you sure she's the right one?" she asked suspiciously, looking at the girl with obvious distaste.

"Haru?!" a panicked Yuki called from the other side, making the slim brunette's senses start firing off.

Firmly, the human stepped past the pink servant and into the dressing room. Yuki was just stepping off of a footstool, gowned in a regal white wedding dress that gave her a lovely monochromatic look. She even had a modest crown to hold the veil over her face, but the brunette could never mistake the relief in the bride's soft blue eyes. But there was also a trace of confusion.

Knowing why the bride felt that way, Haru grinned warmly at her. "Don't tell me you've got another objection right before the wedding," she said teasingly. "I'd have thought the prince would have taken care of any further protests."

Yuki relaxed to the point of tears, recognizing the girl's smile despite the masklike glasses. Without thinking, she threw herself into the brunette's arms, despite the maidservants' protests.

"I…" Yuki stammered softly as tears flowed down her furry cheeks. "I… just wanted to see you again. This is a big day for me, and… I don't have any family to share it with. _Real _family, I mean."

Haru's heart melted as she squeezed the potential princess softly. "Shh, its okay, Yuki. I'm right here, you're not alone. Everything will be just fine."

ooOoo

Baron silently herded his children into a reserved pew that was closer to the front of the royal chapel. In any case, he was close enough to see the dark prince's chest heave up and down with nerves, and one paw nervously open and close as he whispered something to the ancient-looking priest that was to perform the ceremony.

Baron managed to catch Lune's eye, and smiled encouragingly as he sat between Elly and Thomas, wrapping his arms around them lovingly.

The prince sighed, and returned the smile thankfully. But then he took a good look at the cluster of feline and human children surrounding his friend on each side, and his worry returned. "_Where's Haru?_" the feline prince mouthed anxiously.

Baron opened his mouth to answer, but then noticed a red curtain on his right bulge conspicuously before revealing a familiar brunette. She looked around the huge room, her mouth set in a worried frown.

"_Over there,_" Baron answered softly, standing up from his place. "I'm going to go fetch Haru, children. Please stay in your seats."

"I could go get her," Hashi protested, but the tawny lord was already free of the pew, and making a beeline for the slim human that was pacing the long side of the room, trying to find a familiar face.

The kittens watched as she suddenly turned as Baron tapped her shoulder. Her smile was wide and warming as he said something softly in her ear. She nodded happily, and accepted the arm he offered her so that they could walk back together.

Lily's eyes widened, noticing how her father's green ones didn't really leave Haru's face, and how the nanny smiled warmly, her own face tilted slightly back so that she could look at Baron's face.

"Let's let them sit together," the eldest sibling hissed quickly as the two approached. Thomas seemed to have seen what his elder sister had, because he immediately scooted closer to Elly to open up a space for the two on the end. Elly tried to complain, but Lily managed to stop her as Baron allowed Haru to slide into the pew first, and then follow closely, sitting close enough so that their sides were almost brushing against each other's.

Haru smiled warmly again while wrapping her arm around Thomas, the kitten closest to her, and pointedly looking at the other children.

"Remember, we're in a church," she whispered, the tone making it clear that now was not the time for foolishness.

They nodded as Thomas wiggled slightly closer to his nanny, enjoying her warm embrace.

In reverent silence they waited until the feline musicians began that familiar march that filled the enormous room with its hymn. A few young flower girls came down the aisle, spreading petals everywhere in the white bride's path. Yuki gracefully floated to her bridegroom, who had lost all outside signs of his previous nerves. He smiled lovingly at her, and held his paw out so that it could clasp hers warmly.

Together, the prince and his bride faced the ancient priest, who started the ceremony in his slightly raspy voice. Since it was a royal wedding, the speech about marital duties was suitably long-winded, and lasted for more than an hour.

Some of the younger attendants began snoring before the ceremony was halfway finished, but as far as the von Gikkingen children and younger Yoshioka sibling were concerned, the bride and groom sealed their marriage with a kiss far too soon.

Of course, they weren't actually paying attention to the ceremony. They were watching the softly intertwined gloved hands of Haru and Baron, which kept rubbing against each other as the two stared straight ahead, wearing matching smiles of contentment on their lips.

ooOoo

The ball after the wedding was a bit more relaxed than Lune's birthday one had been. The dark red wine poured freely, and many of the noble guests drank deeply.

Haru chose not to touch anything, since her lifetime career of vegetarianism had spoiled her appetite for the meat-based refreshments being carried throughout the ballroom by proudly groomed servants.

Hashi finally had to turn away as a plate of shaved and gutted mice passed before his eyes, and he buried his face in his tall sister's waist. "Can we leave?" he begged. "Before I throw up?"

The tall brunette sighed, hugging her brother back tenderly while keeping an eye on her young charges. "Not until Baron says so," she whispered, her bespectacled eyes automatically racing back to the tawny half-feline, who was whispering something to Prince Edward. Almost like he could feel the power of her gaze, Baron's eyes immediately trailed over to her, and one of his more amazing smiles unconsciously slipped onto his lips.

Haru blushed deeply from behind her glasses, and looked down at her brother to distract her, smiling nervously. "He doesn't look like he wants to leave quite yet. Maybe Thomas could show you where the bathroom is, if you think you're going to be sick."

Hashi nodded thankfully, and started weaving his way through the circling nobles, trying to get to his best friend, who was dancing the usual pas de trios with his sisters. Elly, however, let go of her brother's hand so that she could jump on the human boy. Hashi nervously tried to pry himself away from the small white cat's grasp, but almost before the human boy realized it, he was drawn into the dance just like everyone else. After about a minute, the young brunette stopped trying to get away from the youngest von Gikkingen, and swept her off her feet, swinging her high above his head as she squealed with delight.

Haru bit back a giggle, seeing how relieved Thomas was that he didn't have to equally divide his attentions between his sisters anymore. The poor boy had to be exhausted by now.

"You think you've fooled everyone, I suppose?"

The brunette looked to her side, a little surprised that venomous Countess Sai was there. "I fool no one. I've found that people can and usually will fool themselves without outside help."

The black-clad feline scoffed, with an undercurrent of a hostile hiss. "Well, you haven't managed to fool me, _peasant_," Sai spat. "I know what you're planning."

"Oh?" Haru asked amusedly. "What am I planning, exactly?"

"Don't be coy! You have your eye on the Baron!"

"He's my boss; I'm _supposed _to keep an eye on him."

"That's not what I meant!" the autumn-colored countess hissed, unable herself to keep her eyes off of the Baron. "You fancy yourself to be his new Baroness!"

Haru stared at her, almost unable to speak. Sai glowed triumphantly, opening her mouth to tear the girl's pitiful ego to shreds.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of."

The countess, however, was not the one to voice that opinion.

The nanny glared at her supposed superior. "Where on earth did you get _that _idea?!" Haru demanded. "Baron and I are friends, nothing more. I have never fancied myself as a possible mate for him," _'Those day dreams don't count!' _"Besides, I think someone like Baron deserves someone more…" Haru trailed off, wondering. What one word could possibly hope to embody everything Baron should have, should he choose to marry again?

Sai sneered. "Well-bred? Better-looking? Higher ranking than a dirty insignificant-"

"Elegant," Haru suddenly said, snapping her fingers in grim satisfaction. "He deserves someone more _elegant_ than me. Of course, I don't think he's going to remarry. I mean, if he was going to, don't you think he'd have done so by now?"

The question had been an innocent one. So the slim brunette was completely taken by surprise when the countess slapped her across her face, digging her claws into the girl's soft flesh as the nanny's glasses were torn from her face.

Savagely, Sai stamped as hard as she could on the corrective lenses, shattering them beyond hope of repair, even as an infuriated Baron ran to Haru's side.

The human hair covered her face as she looked away from the countess, numbly feeling the cuts on her face.

"How dare you-" Sai shrieked before the girl turned once more to face her. The rest of her insults became forgotten, as the human's face filled her vision.

Even with the cuts running across one side of her face, the girl was lovely. But the mounting fury in those huge dark eyes was unlike anything the countess had even seen before. The king's increasingly frequent fits bordered on madness, but there was a cold calculation in the humble nanny's eyes that made the king's anger seem insignificant in comparison.

"I think we should continue this discussion outside, where we won't bother the guests," Haru said in a chillingly calm manner, her eyes betraying her true emotions like a beacon. "I will not ruin Yuki's special day because of you."

The human flexed her fingers almost like talons, as her fingernails disappeared, only to be replaced with claws of her own, this time by conscious thought.


	26. The Horror

**Chapter Twenty Six: The Horror**

"Don't, Haru," Baron said urgently, putting one firm hand on her shoulder. "She isn't worth it."

"Isn't she?" the brunette countered in a clipped tone as dark blood dripped from her chin and stained the lovely blue dress she was wearing. Every muscle in her body was tensed, just waiting for the chance to strike down the offensive feline once and for all. Her ears traveled up the sides of her head as whiskers became apparent once more. "Let go, Baron!" she said angrily, trying to shrug off his warm grip, which only became stronger.

"No, Haru. She's not going to get _that _satisfaction." He turned to the countess, barely able to keep himself from growling. "_I warned you,_" he hissed. "I told you to stay away from my nanny, or you would lose everything. And now you have." Despite his reluctance to allow Haru to harm the countess, Baron was barely able to keep _himself _from drawing the offensive feline's blood.

How _dare _she harm Haru?! He should have intervened sooner, but the crowd had been too thick for him to penetrate in time.

"Baron, I _really _want a piece of her," the human muttered angrily at him, trying to break free from his strong grip.

Sternly, he wrapped one arm around the brunette, and pulled her through the sea of people that could not stop looking at Haru's maimed face. "Believe me, Haru; my way will hurt her far worse. King!" Baron proclaimed, forgetting in his anger just why he had taken the trouble to hide his brunette's identity. "The Countess Sai just attacked my nanny without cause!"

"That's not true!" the autumn-colored feline shrieked as the king turned around from his conversation with Natori.

The large longhair took half a glance at the nanny, but then quickly looked at her again, his mouth agape. "You!" he gasped, making Baron realize his mistake.

But Haru was calmer now, as she thoughtfully rubbed away the blood that was threatening to stain her dress even worse with a handkerchief Baron had offered her. "Yes, me. Just out of curiosity, your Majesty, are countesses not allowed to attack innocent servant girls that don't work for them, or do you let that kind of thing slide?" the brunette asked stiffly.

The question made the king snap to attention, and draw himself up to his full height. This could have just been Baron's opinion, but the King seemed to be holding in his breath, to make his chest seem a bit bigger and his beer belly smaller.

"SAI!" the Cat King bellowed. "Get over here!"

Trembling slightly, the autumn-colored countess walked closer to her monarch. "The girl insulted me!" Sai defended herself before the king could start yelling at her.

Baron cocked his head, and looked at his nanny in confusion.

The girl looked just as confused. "All I said was that you deserved someone elegant, if you ever chose to marry again, Baron. If she saw _that_ as an insult, then she was insulting herself."

The royal court roared with helpless laughter as the countess hissed angrily, and tried to make another pass at the girl.

But Baron grabbed the hostile feline's arms firmly, and held them just behind her back so that she couldn't move. But he couldn't restrain himself from whispering into the countess's ear as he fought back a few chuckles of his own. "I can see how that would offend you."

Sai became very still, her eyes huge and hurt as the king wiped a few tears of mirth from his mismatched eyes.

"Oh, that's a good one. Hmm, I'm not quite sure what to do with you, Countess. Ah, maybe I'll think of something in the morning. Guards!"

Two green cats immediately came out of their hiding spot from behind one of the red curtains and marched up to their ruler, bowing as one.

"Take the countess to a nice dank dungeon for the night. I don't think she's up to the festivities, and I wouldn't want her to get distracted and leave before I think of a suitable punishment."

"Yes, your Majesty!" the green cats barked before almost tearing Sai from Baron's firm grasp, and marching the shrieking feline out of the room at a brisk pace, the curtain billowing behind them as they exited the room.

"Haru, are you all right?" Hashi asked worriedly as their employer once again turned his attention to the still-bleeding brunette, who was starting to look a little pale.

"Fine, just fine, Hashi," the nanny breathed, her eyes starting to become glassy and unresponsive as she swayed slightly. Recognizing the signs of blood loss, Baron almost had to swim through the children in order to gently take the slim brunette's unmarked half in one hand so that he could hold his other one right over the profusely bleeding cuts.

"Hold still, Haru," he murmured softly as his magic flowed through the white glove and onto her face. She closed her eyes as the white sparks danced over her cheek and nose, and the cuts began to shrink noticeably.

When Baron finally put down his hand again, the king was satisfied that the girl's face was once again perfectly unmarred, without the slightest hint of what the countess had done. The dress and her neck were still coated in blood, but there was no help for that.

Haru smiled weakly at her employer as she felt over her renewed face. "Thanks Baron. Is there a way we can go home now? I feel really dizzy."

"Absolutely," the orange and cream cat said soothingly, taking her by the shoulders and guiding her away from the feline monarch. "Thank you for your intervention, your Majesty. Come along, children."

"Hold it!" the king bellowed one more time, stomping up to the brunette as she turned to face him once more. "Why didn't you tell me that it was _you_, Haru?! I've been tearing both kingdoms apart trying to find you!"

"Have you?" Haru asked distractedly, shaking her head a bit to help her keep her consciousness. "I heard you were trying to find a noblewoman, but not a peasant girl like me. Besides, your son's married now."

"Sure, _he _is, but…" the king stammered, falling to one knee that audibly cracked with age. "I was wondering… if you'd marry me instead."

Baron had known that was what the king had in mind, but actually hearing the words filled him with a volcanic rage. He opened his mouth to say no, but then Haru firmly pulled on his sleeve.

He looked down, a bit surprised to see the way Haru was looking at him.

Her eyes were dark, almost unreadable. "Why don't you let _me _answer, Baron?" she asked stiffly.

He swallowed hard, but took a step back while pulling his children close to him. As his brunette turned to face the king once more, he couldn't help but fear that he was about to lose her forever. His heart began to pound in dread, trying to imagine a life without her, but finding it beyond his ability to do as the king smiled smugly at the lord before turning his attention to the girl.

"I'm flattered that you think so highly of me, your Majesty," Haru said while curtsying politely. "But for reasons of your health, I cannot accept your proposal."

The king blinked dumbly. "I'm in perfect health," he blustered, but Haru raised one hand to silence him, since she wasn't done talking yet.

"That's partially why I must turn you down, your Majesty. Your health would go out the window if you married me."

His eyes narrowed dangerously, and he leaned close to the girl, who looked right back at him without flinching. "What's that supposed to mean, babe?" he hissed at her, making the girl shrug a bit.

"I swore a blood oath years ago that I wouldn't marry unless I found a mate that could make me dance well," the brunette answered in a deceptively casual manner.

Hashi quickly turned away from the scene, both hands over his mouth in mirthful horror. Baron spared a confused glance at the lad as the feline monarch was thrown into howls of laughter.

"Is that all?! In that case, give us a waltz, Maestro!" the king boomed, grabbing the nanny by one arm and dragging her towards the dance floor.

Indignant, Baron tried to follow, but Hashi held him back.

"Just sit tight," the dark human giggled helplessly, trying to keep the words at a whisper. "Haru will fix him _good_."

"But what if he-" Baron tried to ask as music began to swell from a corner of the huge ballroom, Haru's frantic protests still clearly audible.

"He won't, I promise. But if you want your kittens to remain innocent, I'd cover their eyes if I were you," Hashi said while wrapping one arm firmly over Elly's eyes.

"Hey!" the white kitten protested as the king put his other paw on Haru's waist, and started waltzing.

The old feline grunted once as Haru accidentally kicked his shin. And again when he twirled her around, and she sort of got her elbow stuck deep between his ribs. Then again when her foot came down on his hind paw.

After that, Baron leaned over and wrapped his own arms around the faces of his older children, despite their many protests.

With a horrified fascination, he stared at the girl he had unflinchingly welcomed into his home as she slowly and painfully dismantled the king. After one more minute, a startling revelation hit him.

"It's a pattern," he whispered to himself as Haru finally broke the king's right leg with a final smooth yet completely accidental kick.

The Cat King lost his nerve at that point, collapsing on the ground and howling over the terrible pain. Not a drop of blood could be seen, but his leg wasn't the only limb lying at a funny angle.

"Did you say something, Baron?" Hashi asked as his sister firmly took a few guilty steps away from the broken monarch.

The orange and cream feline came to his senses, and shook his head firmly. "Just talking to myself, Hashi."

"For the record, I _did _try to warn him," Haru said loudly, smiling apologetically at Lune and Yuki. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't make him understand what I was trying to say. Can we leave now, Baron?"

Numbly, he nodded, and released his children so that he could offer the young nanny his arm. She took it, and wrapped her other hand with Lily's as Thomas took Baron's other hand. Hashi followed behind them, his hand firmly yet gently holding Elly's.

The guests made a large pathway for them out of the room, their own eyes wide with fear and horror. Haru nodded once at them again before leaving the room, but not a single apology crossed her lips again.

It wasn't until the small yet strangely compiled group was on the carriage heading home that someone chose to speak again.

"Why didn't you say you were pretty, Haru?" Elly asked curiously, cuddling deep into the brunette's side while avoiding the blood stains.

Haru's smile became somewhat fixed. "Because I don't want to be pretty. I guess it doesn't matter now, no one's going to come anywhere near me after word of what I did to the king gets around."

Thomas spoke up, taking a break from nervously biting his bottom lip, a habit of Haru's that had rubbed off on him. "Did you _really _take a blood oath on getting married, Haru?" the tiger-like feline asked timidly, making the girl laugh.

"No, but now that I've thought of it, it's a pretty good idea. I've already spilled the blood and everything."

"You don't have to do that!" Lily protested, remembering the way her father and nanny had been holding hands earlier.

Haru looked at her from the side, a soft smirk on her lips for the eldest von Gikkingen girl, since she was sitting on the other side of the housemaid, an arm wrapped around both girls' shoulders. "I thought you wanted me to stay forever, Lily."

The tawny kitten nodded as a plan began to form in her mind.

A rather brilliant one, if she said so herself. Too bad she didn't think of it months ago.


	27. The Wish

**Chapter Twenty Seven: The Wish**

The night had settled in nicely. Hashi sighed happily as he pulled off the dark tuxedo his beloved older sister had bought for him, and slipped into a long shirt before collapsing on the soft bed in his room. Although _he _hadn't been the one to beat a king into submission that day, he nonetheless felt absolutely exhausted. He was asleep within seconds.

But, long after the midnight hour had passed, his door slowly creaked open, and a lithe figure slipped through before stealthily making its way to the young human's bed. The steps were light and cautious, as the figure leaned over the young boy, and reached out a hand.

"Hashi," Thomas whispered, shaking his best friend's shoulder insistently. "Wake up, please."

The young brunette groaned, batting the striped cat's hand away angrily. "There's no way that it's morning already," he groaned before Thomas put one hand over the human's mouth.

"It isn't yet," Thomas hissed, his eyes awake and weary. "But we're having a family counsel, and we'd like you to sit in."

Hashi growled again, pulling his friend's hand off his mouth while sitting up. "All right, all right. I'll go get Haru."

"No!" Thomas whispered harshly, his eyes nervously glancing at the door. "It's… well, it's a secret meeting. Just for us and my sisters."

Hashi quirked an eyebrow, but stood up from his bed to crack his neck once before quietly following the tiger-like feline out his door, and into his elder sister's room.

Elly was already sitting on the bed with Lily when the boys slipped through the door, Thomas softly closing the door behind him.

"Okay, I got him," the von Gikkingen boy said in a low tone, pushing his slightly older companion closer to the one candle that the girls had dared to light this late. "Now on to business."

"Just what is this about?" Hashi asked worriedly, seating himself on a stool that had been pulled close to Lily's bed as Thomas sat down on a chair.

"It's about Christmas," Elly whispered excitedly. "Tomorrow's the first of December, and Daddy always asks us what we want for Christmas on the first, so that he doesn't have to rush around at the last minute."

"That's… nice," the dark human said dubiously. "But why did you drag me out of bed to tell me this?"

"We already know what we want for Christmas," Lily said softly, her sparkling blue eyes intense on the human. "But we can't have it without your permission. Father _will _ask for your permission before he tries to get it for us, and we just want to make sure that you give it."

Hashi opened his mouth to ask what they were talking about, but then his mind clicked awake.

The answer was loud and clear.

He grinned wickedly.

"Oh. _That_."

"Precisely," Thomas said calmly, his green eyes glowing. "_That._ Would you mind terribly, sharing _that_ with us?"

"I already am," the human pointed out, still grinning. "But I know what you're trying to say." Hashi shrugged, and smiled roguishly. "I guess it depends on how your father intends to ask for my permission."

ooOoo

Baron jumped out of the high-back chair he had been sitting in, his glowing green eyes huge and slightly wild.

"You want _what _for Christmas?!" he all but yelled.

Lily looked up at her father again, and repeated the grand total of what she and her siblings wanted. "We want Haru for a step-mother."

Baron's heartbeat began to speed out of control, and his breath became harder and harder to keep. "I don't think you children understand what you're asking," he begged softly as his knees began to turn weak. "I mean, I won't deny that I'm terribly fond of her, but… marriage?!"

"It's really a good idea, Father," Thomas said earnestly. "She does just about everything a real mother does, but the only difference would be that we can call her 'mother' on purpose and we won't have to worry about her leaving us in the future. _Please_, Father?"

"Children," he said helplessly, feeling like he was being backed up against the wall. "Name something else, _anything _else!"

"No, Father," Elly insisted. "We want Haru."

Baron braced himself against a wall, still breathing heavily. More than anything, he was grateful that Haru and Hashi were all the way downstairs, preparing a rather large breakfast at his request so that he could have a few moments to speak with his beloved kittens.

"Will… you children give me some time to think this over? And not tell Haru about this?" the tawny feline begged, not wishing for the lovely brunette to find out before he was ready to make his decision.

"Of course, Father," Lily said sweetly. "But don't expect us to change our mind about her. You _know _she'd make a great mother for us."

Baron couldn't answer that. It was all he could do to leave the room and stumble down the hallway.

The corridor seemed to swim in his vision hazily, and he was forced to balance himself on a wallpapered wall, his breath sharp and unsteady.

"They want Haru?" he whispered harshly to himself as his heart pounded in his ears.

That the fetching brunette and her younger brother had become a part of the von Gikkingen family, he would never deny. Was Haru a joy to be around? Of course. Did he want her to stay forever? Absolutely.

But… _marriage_?

Even as his mind clung to the memory of his first Baroness, a small rebellious side countered the thought with how wonderful it felt to hold the lovable brunette close, the night of the ball. And how enjoyable her embrace had been when they had sailed under the stars on Toto.

Muta walked out of his bedroom, shutting the door softly so that his wife and kittens could sleep soundly within. "Hey, Baron," the fat white cat said cheerfully before getting a good look at his employer's face. "Hey, you got a headache or something?"

"Or something," Baron groaned, almost limping his way past the enormous feline, and managing the stairs to his chambers at a snail-like pace.

Muta watched him go, more than a little surprised to see his employer act in such an undignified manner.

Baron didn't notice his fat friend's shock. He was too busy trying to reach the large bed in his room so he could collapse on it. For some reason, he felt even more exhausted than he had the night before, despite the fact that it was still morning.

ooOoo

Haru stole yet another glance at the doorway to the kitchen as her soup cooled to the point of tepid. She hadn't seen Baron since early morning, and he was not one to miss out on one of her meals, if he could help it. "Are you _sure _he said he wasn't hungry?" the slim brunette asked her brother once more, making him growl into his spoon.

"For the last time, yes! Will you stop asking already?!"

"Sorry," Haru said, a little miffed at her brother's tone. "I can't help it; he's never acted like this before."

Lily smirked into her delicately flavored soup, sipping it softly like a lady. "He's just pouting, Haru. He'll get over it soon enough."

"But what is he pouting over?" the human girl pressed, completely missing the evil smirk Tsunami was sending her husband, who looked a little miffed for some reason.

"He told us not to tell you," Elly sang out before taking a big bite out of a still-steaming roll covered with melted butter. The tiny white kitten was smiling a little evilly too, but the nanny noticed this smirk.

"Why?!" Haru demanded. "What doesn't he want me to know about?! Doesn't he trust me?"

"Why don't you go ask him?" Thomas asked calmly while offering a handful of napkins to Muta, who was getting splattered by Haruna's enthusiastic soup splashing.

Haru sighed, rose from her seat at the table, and walked over to the counter.

"Sis?" Hashi asked as Haru poured a cup of steaming tea, and added precisely three drops of milk.

Just the way Baron liked it.

The brunette took the cup by the saucer, and wordlessly headed out of the room. _'Even if he doesn't want to talk to me, he's probably missing his tea by now.'_

ooOoo

Baron wasn't quite sure how long he lay there, gazing up into the dark red canopy of his bed.

Even that seemed different now. Of course, Haru had washed the canopy recently, but that wasn't quite it.

For a reason unknown to him, the brunette usually insisted on washing all the laundry in a special mixture of lavender and assorted herbs that gave off a rather comforting smell that seemed to always remind the feline lord of better days.

Not that he minded. If anything, he would have protested if she ever chose to stop.

'_Marry Haru… or don't… children… Louise… Oh, Louise.'_

A sudden knocking tapped at his door, shattering the Baron's private thoughts. "I'm still not hungry," he called out miserably, hoping that he would be left alone once more. But the door disobediently creaked open.

With a start, despite the fact that his back was toward the door, Baron realized that it was Haru. Anyone else would have begged or ordered him to come downstairs.

But, he couldn't _possibly _face Haru right now!

"I thought you might be thirsty by now," the lovely brunette said softly, walking closer on those soft, soft feet. Baron could hear the clink of china as the human carefully placed her offering on his bedside table, but he still couldn't turn and face her.

She stood there for a while, looking at him. The tawny feline could feel her gaze pass over his form like a warm blanket against the cold December night. Noticing that he had let his fire go out, Haru calmly walked over to the modest fireplace in the wall and threw a few split logs in before expertly striking a flame with flint and steel. Before a few minutes had passed, the room was once more at a comfortable temperature.

Haru stood up from her labors, and slapped her hands against each other to be rid of any remaining splinters, now at an angle where she could see Baron's face.

Once they locked eyes, Baron couldn't look away from her. There was a bit of injury in those beautiful brown eyes, something that he had thought to have been banished by now.

"Thank you, Baron," Haru said finally, bowing in the fashion of her native kingdom. "Thank you for allowing me to serve you." She smiled a little sadly at him before turning towards the door. But halfway to the new destination, the slim brunette stopped in her tracks.

"Do you remember when you asked me to confide in you whenever I needed to?" Haru asked her employer, turning to look over her shoulder at him. A stiffening of his shoulders told her that he remembered the request all too well.

"I want to let you know how much of a comfort that is to me," the slim girl said softly, choosing her words with great care. "I'm glad that I can trust you with things that no one but my brother knows. I hope that someday, you'll be able to trust me the same way. Good night, Baron."

Although her employer couldn't see it, the girl bowed one more time before softly opening and closing the door after herself.

Baron sat up and stared at her exit point, feeling more than a little ashamed of himself. This wonderful young woman did everything he had ever asked of her, and then some, but he couldn't even bring himself to talk about what his children wanted them to do?

Sighing heavily, he leaned over enough to take the cup of tea she had left behind, and sipped the soothing beverage.

It was perfect, as usual.

For some reason, that made tears flow down his cheeks in a rebellious flood. He silently wept while gazing at the portrait of his beloved Baroness, slowly but surely falling asleep.

That night, his dreams were troubled once more by his adoring Louise, who seemed sadder than he had ever seen her before.

"_Marry her," _Louise whispered into the tawny feline's ear for the rest of the night. _"Marry her, or I'll never forgive you. I won't find another one if you let this one go."_


	28. The Proposal

**Chapter Twenty Eight: The Proposal**

Haru was still a little depressed the next morning, and it wasn't just from the fact that the sun hadn't risen yet. She had never been fond of winter to begin with, and the shorter ration of sunlight reinforced her distaste of the cold.

The brunette sighed sadly as she pulled a warm overcoat over her body, tying the laces tight before buttoning her thick winter boots up her legs. She just couldn't shake off that inner chill that had accompanied her since the one-sided conversation she had tried to conduct with Baron last night. She sighed again, feeling lower than she had in months.

'_Why won't he trust me? I trust him. What could be bothering him so? Not even Muta's problem made him act like this.'_

A knock rapped politely at her door, making the brunette break out of her silent depression. "Coming, Hashi," Haru called out, tying a thick scarf around her neck as she crossed the modest room and turned the handle.

But when the golden light from the hallway flooded into her room, the brunette gasped as she angled her head back slightly, since she had been expecting someone shorter.

Baron was in her doorway, smiling nervously. Instead of his usual suit, he was also dressed for the frigid weather outside. "Good morning, Haru," he offered hesitantly.

The young woman bit her lip before answering him. "Good morning, Baron. Are you feeling better?"

The tawny feline took a second before answering. "I will be after I earn your forgiveness. I shouldn't have treated you the way I did last night, and I apologize." He bowed respectfully to her, clearly hoping that she would see that he was being sincere.

Not that he was ever anything less with her.

Haru tilted her head a bit, looking deep into those hypnotic green eyes. Deciding that she still liked what she saw in them, a shy smile crept onto her slim lips. "Apology accepted. But what are you doing up so early?"

Her feline employer smiled back at her warmly while raising one arm to her. "I was hoping that I could persuade you to take a walk with me. Few things are more peaceful then what's happening outside right now."

Haru looked at the offered arm, a little confused. "But I'm supposed to be training Hashi."

"I asked him to go ahead and sleep in a bit today," Baron answered, smiling roguishly.

Giggling in spite of herself, Haru took the offered arm, and walked with the orange and cream feline up the hallway, down the stairs, and out the front door.

The cold winter air slapped her icily across the face, making the girl wrap her scarf a bit more firmly over her face, and pull the sides of her woolen hat down in order to protect her sensitive ears.

The snow crunched softly underneath their feet as the feline lord and human girl left the grounds surrounding the silent home. Occasionally, by the light of the full moon, Haru would look up at Baron as he led her past evergreen trees and rippling icy brooks.

"Just where are we going, Baron?" she asked curiously.

He looked down at her, and smiled a bit warmer than usual, making the girl's cheeks flame a dark color. "Nowhere in particular. I just love how quiet winters are, don't you?"

Haru looked away from her dear friend, drinking in the soft serenity of the landscape. "It's beautiful all right, but I've always liked summer better. Swimming in the lake by day, catching fireflies by night…"

Baron laughed warmly, and worked his arm loose from her grasp so that he could wrap it around her shoulders. He squeezed her closer, purring softly. "Of course, every season has its own beauty. Part of my problem has been ignoring what's right in front of me, because I was always looking at how things used to be."

She looked up at him in confusion. "What are you trying to say, Baron?" she asked softly, making him look down at her, his eyes becoming a little afraid.

"Haru, have you been happy? Do you… enjoy working for me?"

"Of course I do," the brunette said, almost indignantly. "You're the best employer I've had since my brother and I were orphaned, and I'm honored that I can count you as a friend."

"And my children?" he pressed.

Haru laughed at how desperate he sounded, like he didn't already know the answer. "I love them. I love them just as much as I love Hashi. You shouldn't doubt something like that, Baron. I thought you knew better," she concluded with a teasing smile.

A relieved smile lit up his face, and he hugged her just a little closer with the arm that was wrapped around her form. "They adore you too, you know," he whispered. "You seem to have every von Gikkingen wrapped around your little finger."

Haru looked down at one of her hands, which was covered with a thick woolen mitten. "Must be getting a little crowded in there," she said critically, giggling in spite of herself.

Baron chuckled a little, and loosened his hold on her. Almost by accident, he allowed his arm to slide down her back until reaching her girlishly trim waist. "Just out of curiosity, Haru, was your father any good with mathematics?" the tawny feline asked out of the blue, making his smaller friend look up at him with surprise.

"What does _that _have to do with anything?" the slim brunette asked incredulously.

Her taller friend shrugged. "Just a small theory I've been working on since last night. Was your father a good mathematician?" he asked again, his tone turning persistent.

Haru sighed a little. "Not exactly. He knew enough to accurately pay his taxes and make sure houses can be solidly built to make good homes, but other than that, he stayed away from arithmetic like the plague. He was more of a nature lover."

For some reason, that made Baron smile even wider. "I was rather hoping that was the case, Haru. Would you mind terribly if I tested my theory?"

"What's your theory?" the brunette asked as Baron used the hand pressed against her waist to guide the girl around to face him. Smiling a little too innocently, the tawny feline gently grabbed her hand with the one that wasn't holding her waist, and held it to about shoulder level.

Then Haru understood.

"Baron, are you crazy?!" she yelled at him, trying valiantly to escape his grasp.

But all the tawny feline did was hold her closer, and bid his time. "Come now, Haru," he whispered into her ear softly. "It's just a small feat with feet, and I'm certain that you're fonder of me than you are of the Cat King."

"I'll _kill _you, Baron," the brunette tried to warn him, tears falling from her eyes and almost turning into drops of ice as they trailed down her face. "Please, I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," Baron assured her, kissing her frozen cheek fondly. Slowly, he began to move his feet, taking the brunette along for the ride. There wasn't very much style to her steps, but at least she was missing Baron's feet and legs with her clumsy footing.

Taking heart in this, she gripped his hand, though a little fearfully, and allowed him to guide her through what was meant to be a simple box step. But whenever one of Haru's legs began to get a little out of line, Baron would smoothly dodge the blow, twirling the brunette in his arms around until they were on new footing, and then try again.

The dance seemed to be barely more than the tawny feline avoiding the girl's powerful blows, but it was nonetheless the longest Haru had ever danced with anyone in her entire life.

"How are you doing this?" she whispered softly as Baron unexpectedly lowered her into a dip, and brought her back up again.

"Were you aware that your style of dancing is based on a mathematic equation?" he asked conversationally, twirling her around underneath his fingertips and bringing her back to the rotating box step before her elbow had a chance at his ribs. "Once one figures out the formula, the solution is fairly easy to conclude."

Without warning, he stopped dancing, and looked the girl straight in the eye. He smiled warmly, and brought her mitten-covered hand to his lips softly, his eyes glowing with a tender affection.

"I can't force you to marry me, Haru," he whispered. "And your dancing is still far from perfect. But if you have no objections, I would like very much to meet with you every morning, to practice until you are satisfied with your abilities. I'm willing to take all the time in the world, if that's what is needed to earn your love. You're a wonderful woman, Haru, and I truly hope that I'll never find out what life without you is like. More than anything, I would be honored to have you as my wife."

Haru stared at him, wondering if she was having a delirious dream again, despite the cold bite of the air and blinding light of the slowly rising sun. "Baron… are you sure you want this?" she whispered softly, smaller tears streaming down her face once more.

He smiled lovingly at her, taking her face in one gloved hand so that he could gently rub away the crystal-like drops. "Very certain, Haru. But do _you _want this? I won't force the issue if you wish to remain friends alone. I just want you to be happy."

Haru looked at her dear friend, scarcely believing that they really were having this conversation. His eyes seemed to be more beautiful than ever to her, lit by the light of both the moon and the rising sun. She saw fear in those glowing orbs, but that fear was pierced repeatedly by a timid hope that she knew all too well.

Feeling that only one answer would do the Baron's proposal justice, she smiled happily, and wrapped one arm around his neck to draw him closer still.


	29. The Answer

**Chapter Twenty Nine: The Answer**

"They're _kissing_!" Hashi crowed triumphantly from his place in the high window, his spyglass lowered so that he could turn to the crowd of felines behind him.

"Told you so," Tsunami gloated triumphantly to her huge husband while rocking Haruka gently.

"All right, all right," he grumbled angrily. "How the heck did you know it'd be _this _Christmas?"

"Call it a woman's intuition," his dark wife said smugly, checking her daughter's diaper critically. "Oh, and Haruka needs a change, husband dearest."

Muta sighed in a defeated manner, taking his other daughter with one arm so that he could quietly leave the room as the von Gikkingen and Yoshioka children began fighting earnestly over just who got to look through the spyglass next.

ooOoo

The children ran down the stairs when the morning had truly come, and burst through the kitchen door.

Haru was in there as usual, but this time, Baron was with her.

The slim brunette looked over her shoulder, and grinned broadly while easing waffles from the iron device they had been cooking in. "Good morning, children!" she said cheerfully as Baron finished transferring the syrup from the pot into a ceramic pitcher.

Elly and Lily ran up to her, and squeezed her happily from the waist, one kitten on each side of their beloved nanny.

"Hey, be careful!" the slim brunette cautioned, holding the hot plate high above her head so that the two girls wouldn't make her drop it.

"Well?!" Lily demanded as her blue eyes sparkled magically.

"Well, what?" the nanny asked calmly, thanking Baron with a smile as he rescued the waffles before they could end up on the floor. He grinned back at her, more foolishly than the kittens had ever seen before.

"Are you gonna marry Father or not?" Elly pleaded, tugging on Haru's slightly messed apron.

The slim woman, for there was no way that she could be called a human anymore thanks to her new fur coat and feline ears, kneeled down to be face to face with the white kitten. Lovingly, she wrapped the tiny girl into a warm hug, and kissed her brow tenderly. "Real ladies don't say 'gonna', Elly. Try 'going to'."

"That's not fair," the tiniest von Gikkingen pouted as her devoted nanny picked her up, and set her gently in one of the chairs around the table.

"Neither is life," Baron reminded her, chuckling a bit as he also sat down at the table.

"Come now, Father," Thomas pleaded, but his sire remained silent, only a smirk betraying his true emotions.

"You're cruel, you know that, Haru?" Hashi accused just before he left to fetch Muta and Tsunami for breakfast, since they had already been up thanks to their beautiful twin girls.

His beloved elder sister smiled smugly, and took a bite of waffle. "I love you too, Brother dearest."

ooOoo

The rest of the month became a game between the couple in question and the rest of the household. Try as they might, the children could never catch Baron or Haru in a promise of one way or another, despite the fact that the two could be witnessed early every morning dancing in the snow, far from the house. Only the footprints remained to tell of the brunette's slow but steady progress in dance.

When the night before Christmas _did _eventually come, it was a sleepless one for all of the children. Even Muta and Tsunami found slumber to be a distant shore, for all their certainty of what the Baron and Haru were planning.

It was still dark when the children snuck up to the high window again, and took up the customary spyglass.

"Hey, you got a turn yesterday!" Thomas protested as Hashi bent over the window as much as possible, the spyglass in his hand. "Come now, it's my turn."

"Hey," Elly protested as the brown half-cat, for the dark lad had given up all attempts to keep his humanity, awkwardly gave the spyglass to his best friend underhanded, still staring at the ground beneath them as his warm breath fogged the window.

"They haven't left yet," the tawny feline reported as he looked around with the spyglass. "Last night's snowfall is undisturbed."

Lily sighed heavily, but her tired blue eyes were sparkling nonetheless. "You know what? I think this is the first Christmas morning that we ran up here instead of down to the tree."

Thomas shrugged, using the spyglass to check the distant meadow, just in case they had gone out the back and had circled around the front area of the house again.

The children waited patiently for the two to emerge, and begin their familiar dance once again.

The minutes ticked by.

The sun slowly rose from its soft white bed, and rose to greet the silent world.

"Where are they?" Hashi muttered furiously, craning his neck in every direction that he could manage without actually opening the window.

Elly still had a soft pink blanket wrapped around her shoulders, and her mind was still slow from a troubled night's rest. She yawned loudly, keeping one hand over her mouth like the lady Haru was training her to be. "Maybe they're downstairs with the tree," the white kitten suggested sleepily.

The older children looked at each other with horror, and dropped the spyglass in their eagerness to be the first one out the door.

"Hey," Elly protested, keeping one hand on the blanket as she ran after them. "Wait for me!"

The feline children raced across the corridor and down the stairs in a heartbeat, but in a moment of weakness, Thomas ran back for his little sister, and swept her into his arms so that she wouldn't be left behind.

To their credit, Hashi and Lily waited for Thomas to bring Elly down before they hesitantly made the trip around the wall into the family room.

The Christmas tree sparkled with beauty and brightly wrapped boxes, but no one was looking at it.

Muta and Tsunami were already in the room, sitting on a couch to the side, each one holding a kitten as usual.

Baron and Haru, on the other hand, were standing right in front of the gorgeous tree, blushing a little with their arms firmly wrapped around each other.

The brunette feline smiled a bit brighter for the kittens, and raised one hand so that they could see it.

On her finger was a ring, with tiny diamonds set in it to resemble a simple bow that sparkled in the sunlight, the only gift they had really wanted for the holidays.

"Merry Christmas, children," she whispered lovingly, holding her arms out wide to accept the almost brutal assault that her soon-to-be step-children gave her.

Hashi was no better, but his embrace was for Baron. Neither had ever had a brother before, and both were looking forward to having one.

From a portrait on the grand piano in the corner, Louise was smiling again, but this time, there was no sadness in the gesture.

ooOoo

"I _knew _it!" Lune shouted gleefully, startling his queen from slumber.

"Mm? What is it, love?" the lovely white feline asked sleepily. Her devoted husband stopped dancing around the bed long enough to hand his wife the modest wedding invitation that Natori had just brought in.

Yuki stared at it, her sleepy blue eyes growing wide with shock. "_Haru_?!" she asked incredulously. "And _Baron_?! Getting married?"

King Lune nodded happily, his mismatched eyes of fire and ice sparkling in the morning sun as he sat down on the bed. "It's about time that those two admitted how they felt to each other! I think everyone in the kingdoms knew, except for them!"

"I didn't," Yuki sulked, making her husband grin and kiss her pouty lip.

"That's because you don't bother with gossip, beloved." He gently took the invitation from her, and looked at the lovely calligraphy thoughtfully. "It might be a good idea to hold off on telling Father about this," the newly crowned monarch said in a serious manner. "It was demoralizing enough for him to get broken to pieces by Haru in front of the court, and then forced to relinquish the throne to me because his body refuses to heal. If he finds out about this, he'll just cause more embarrassment to himself and the royal family."

"How long should we keep it from him, honey?" Yuki asked while stretching leisurely.

"I think until after they're married would be a safe precaution. They're planning on a pretty private ceremony anyway." Striking on a slightly wicked idea, the new king grinned evilly, and pulled on a velvet rope that would summon Natoru. "But I think that the ex-countess down in the dungeon would enjoy having the Baron's wedding invitation read to her. Don't you agree, dear?"

Yuki just laughed.

ooOoo

Okay, lots of love to; Natsuko37, Fan Boy 101, 13IsTaLkThEaKaTsUkI13, gacktxx, NinjaFoodLover, Rebel of my Destiny, Savannah Cullen, Moonless X Angel, GhibliGirl91, Bambi4ever, Chantal, Revy22, Raine Haruto, Drifting One, Shadowclaw505, asian9090, Anonomous-Allstar-Fan (and Bob), fringeperson, Archon Dragon, Lunarobi Pride, Triste1, EagleBlaze954, Rai180, 002fox, Ghost Wulf, Rini's Ghost, LeafeKnight7, Elvin Magi, Nonimouse, Raine, Risika Tziporah, kittydemon18, Strawberry White Tiger, Lanari, Annemarie, chibiaries, Shadow's Cross, LucyMint, slavetothekeyboard, Thundercat, QuickStar, Poet on the Run, Naa-chan, ArtsyChick, aoi senshi, NinjoftheDarkness, tashie1010, and Bibishi Kuronecko787 for reviewing my work and sticking with me through it. You guys were so much fun to talk to, and I'm glad that I got the chance to do so.

Okay, I know that I've started a tradition of including a summary of my next story at the end of an old one, so here's my next piece;

_A rose by any other name… wouldn't sound as cool. Even if the flower happened to be enchantingly blue._

Who can guess my next fairy tale inspiration? Those who guess right the first time get to have their names included in the first chapter.

Lots of love,

YarningChick


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